Pachauri allowed to join work at all TERI centres, except IHC

A lower court on Friday (17 July), allowed Rajendra Kumar Pachauri to join work at the The Energy Research Institute offices in Delhi, barring the centre at the Indian Habitat Centre, Lodhi Road. It must be noted that some witnesses, employed at TERI, are yet to questioned.

The Delhi Police team investigating the case of sexual assault against has asked the High Court to cancel his bail plea due to charges of non-cooperation. Pachauri has been accused of not cooperating with the police in the investigations, and trying to influence witnesses in the case.

The court will reply on the matter by 30 September.

Pachauri, 75, has been accused by a junior scientist at TERI of sexual harassment. The young woman has given the police proof in the form of text messages and emails from Pachauri, which has been sent to the Forensic Laboratory in Gujarat.

Who is Pachauri and why is this case important?

Pachauri is the founder of New Delhi-based TERI. He is a former Chair of the UN body on Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and a co-recepient of the Nobel Peace Prize, along with Al Gore. He is also a Padma Vibhushan awardee and a widely respected figure in academic circles. The case of sexual harassment against him has attracted much attention from the media.

More on the Pachauri case can be found here.