Globally-known climate scientist RK Pachauri, who has a sexual harassment case against him, has been removed as the head of the Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), where the complainant in this case still works.
The governing council of the body has replaced Pachauri, 74, with Ajay Thakur, who currently heads the Bureau of Energy Efficiency.
Pachauri has been on a long-term leave from TERI ever since the incident early this year and in February, he had been asked to stay away from the offices of the institution. This direction was however recently amended by the Delhi High Court and Pachauri had been temporarily allowed to visit the institution premises
The police had recently told the Delhi High Court that Pachauri was not cooperating in the investigation process and that he was influencing witnesses in the case. This, the police alleged supported the victim’s application to have Pachauri’s anticipatory bail cancelled.
Pachauri is a leading voice on the dangers of global warming and he was forced to step down as chairman of the Nobel Prize-winning UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) earlier this year after a 29-year-old female colleague at TERI accused him of harassing her.
Police had also questioned 74-year-old Pachauri last month based on evidence provided by the woman, who had accused him of sending repeated inappropriate emails, WhatsApp and text messages. Pachauri, however, denied the allegations saying his emails and mobile phone were hacked.