Enough evidence to prosecute Pachauri, says Delhi police chargesheet

The Delhi police chargesheet in the TERI sexual harassment case says that its former director general RK Pachauri had "misused his office" and there is enough "evidence to prosecute" him, reports The Economic Times.

The 500-page chargesheet holds Pachauri guilty of outraging the modesty of a woman, sexual harassment, stalking and criminal intimidation. It was filed after a year's investigations that saw the questioning of witnesses and the examination of phone communication details.

Climate scientist Pachauri, 75, accused of sexual harassment by a woman employee of The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), has been in the news almost consistently since the case was filed almost a year ago, because of the way he has been seen to be 'shielded' by his senior colleagues at TERI. Though he was made to step down as chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), he continued to work at TERI with all his earlier authority, even though he had been replaced as its director general by Ajay Mathur, former director general of the Bureau of the Bureau of Energy Efficiency. Though Mathur took up his post at TERI last week, Pachauri was made vice chairman of the institute (a specially created post) with wide-ranging powers. He went on indefinite leave from 12 February this year after protests from the students and alumni of TERI University and public outrage.

Pachauri will be charged under sections 354, 354A, 354D and 506 of the Indian Penal Code. The chargesheet is being scrutinised before it is filed.

According to the document, Pachauri made 34 calls to the complainant from his mobile phone between February 2014 and March 2015. The complainant called him 26 times. More than 6,000 SMSes and WhatsApp messages exchanged between Pachauri and the complainant between September 2013 and February 2015.

In the statement made to the police by the complainant under Section 161 of the Criminal Procedure Code, she said that on 3 September, 2013, a day before she was to officially join Pachauri's office, she received an SMS from him that said: "From now onwards I shall call you LIFE: Lovely Inspiration of Excessive Fondness."

That was the beginning of a series of sexually charged jokes and poems from Pachauri that she received on a daily basis.

Her statement added: "He (Dr Pachauri) assaulted and violated my modesty and body, on multiple occasions, through unwanted acts of grabbing, hugging, groping, touching and forcefully kissing me within and outside the workplace despite my fervent pleas and requests not to indulge in such behaviour with me despite my clear and unambiguous refusals."