Pachauri permitted to travel to USA for last rites of relative

A Delhi court today allowed TERI Director General R K Pachauri, who is facing sexual harassment allegations from a woman employee, to travel to USA to attend last rites of his brother-in-law.

Metropolitan Magistrate Shivani Chauhan, while allowing Pachauri to go abroad from June 29 to July 9, directed him to inform the Indian Embassy in the US about his arrival there and provide updates on his travel plans by filing the itinerary and photocopy of tickets and passport in the court.

The magistrate also directed Pachauri to inform the court and the Investigating Officer about his return to India on July 9.

The court also directed the The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) Director General not to visit any other country and to deposit two sureties of Rs two lakh each.

Advocate Ashish Dixit, appearing for Pachauri, said his client has been cooperating with the cops and had filed this plea only after two rounds of questioning was done by them.

As the police objected to his plea saying Pachauri was trying to evade further interrogation in the case, Dixit said there was no chance of him evading police investigation and he was seeking permission to travel abroad only because of his brother in-law's death.

Dixit submitted documents regarding death of Pachauri's brother-in-law.
The police also informed the court that Pachauri will be interrogated tomorrow also.
Meanwhile, victim's counsel Prashant Mendirata opposed the plea claiming there was likelihood that he may misuse the liberty granted by the court by trying to escape to other countries.

Pachauri, who is on anticipatory bail since March 21, has been questioned twice by the police earlier this week in the sexual harassment case.

Pachauri had proceeded on leave from TERI after sexual harassment charges were levelled against him by a woman employee.

He had also stepped down from United Nation's Inter- governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and Prime Minister's Council on Climate Change.

On March 21, the court had granted him anticipatory bail by imposing several conditions, including that he will join the probe as and when called.

He would also not enter TERI's office premises nor will he intimidate or threaten the complainant and the witnesses of the case, the court had directed.

On February 13, an FIR was registered against Pachauri on charges of sexual harassment under IPC sections 354, 354 (a), 354(d) (molestation) and 506 (criminal intimidation).