New Delhi, April 23 (IANS) A court here on Saturday set May 14 for considering charge-sheet filed against environmentalist R.K. Pachauri accused of sexually harassing a colleague in The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI).
Metropolitan Magistrate Shivani Chauhan had earlier scheduled the hearing on Saturday. but had to take a leave of absence on Saturday to attend a training programme.
Delhi Police has chargesheeted Pachuari, a former executive chairman of TERI under various sections of the Indian Penal Code dealing with assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty, sexual harassment, stalking, criminal intimidation and word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman.
The police has cited around 23 prosecution witnesses and several phone text messages, e-mails and WhatsApp messages exchanged between the accused and victim as evidence to support its case.
Pachauri was accused of sexually harassing a female colleague in 2015. He stepped down as chairperson of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in February last year and proceeded on leave from TERI where he was the director general.
In November, the woman researcher who accused him of sexual harassment quit her job at TERI, alleging she was treated badly. TERI denied the charge.
On February 8, Pachauri was appointed as the executive vice chairman of the organisation. After severe criticism, TERI on February 12 asked him to proceed on indefinite leave.