TERI Director General RK Pachauri, accused of sexual harassment by a woman employee, in Gurgaon |File Photo: PTI

NEW DELHI: Following protests by TERI University students who refused to accept degrees from Pachauri, the chancellor, in the convocation scheduled for March 7, the disgraced ex-chief of the organisation decided to go on leave.

TERI University’s acting vice chancellor (V-C) Rajiv Seth said that Pachauri had communicated the same on Thursday.  Meanwhile, the Delhi Police on Friday told the Delhi High Court that an out-of-court settlement was proposed to the victim of the sexual harassment case involving Pachauri.

The Delhi Police filed the status report before Justice S P Garg and said that TERI Director Sanjai Joshi conceded during the interrogation that he had indeed spoken to the victim’s friend Rahul Singh for an out-of-court settlement.

The report was filed in the case in which the victim, a former TERI employee, has sought quashing of anticipatory bail of Pachauri.

In the report, it was clarified that Joshi was categorical that Pachauri never pressurised him to talk about out-of-court settlement. “Director TERI Sanjai Joshi joined investigation and he was interrogated. He stated that he talked to Rahul Singh, it was a very casual conversation during his visit to his workstation in TERI. It was stated only to save the image of the organisation before the media,” the report said.

It further said that Joshi had also stated that he had never been asked by Pachauri or any other person of TERI to talk for settling the matter and he had not pressurised Rahul Singh, who is the complainant’s friend. The status report also said that TERI’s area convener Reena Singh was also interrogated and she had stated that she had never spoken about any settlement with Rahul Singh and was only giving her comments. Police also told the court that another TERI official who was out of the country would be examined after he returned.

Prashant Mendirata, the complainant’s counsel, argued that Pachauri was heading the organisation and might have not directly pressurised anyone, but could have done so indirectly.

Ajay Mathur is New TERI D-G

The TERI Governing Council has appointed Ajay Mathur as DG, with full executive powers to run the organisation. Dr Pachauri’s role is to ensure a smooth transition to the new DG. The Governing Council is meeting again on Friday, said a TERI spokesperson.http://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/Pachauri-Goes-on-Leave-After-Protest-Chargesheet-in-2-Weeks/2016/02/12/article3273052.ece