AN INDIAN court on Thursday (February 26) barred the former head of a UN climate change panel from leaving the country as police investigate a sexual harassment complaint against him, lawyers said.
Rajendra Pachauri, who stepped down as chairman of the Nobel Prize-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) on Tuesday (February 24), is also not allowed to enter his workplace as part of his interim bail conditions.
Pachauri, 74, is facing allegations he harassed a 29-year-old female employee from his organisation, The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI).
“The court ordered him not to enter the TERI office and not to leave the country without court's permission,” Prashant Mendiratta, one of the woman's lawyers, told reporters.
The court also granted Pachauri “anticipatory bail” until March 27, meaning that police cannot take him into custody or arrest him before that date.
Pachauri, who has been facing growing calls for his resignation from the Delhi-based think tank, is also not allowed to contact the complainant or any other TERI employees as part of the conditions.
His resignation from the IPCC comes at a crucial time as the panel tries to pave the way for a high-profile climate change summit in Paris in December where world leaders hope to strike a deal to curb global warming.
Pachauri's lawyer, Shankh Sengupta, said the bail conditions were “normal,” adding that the veteran scientist is still recovering from a heart problem in a Delhi hospital. He has also taken a leave of absence from TERI.
“These conditions are normal. We informed the court that he would be happy to abide by these conditions,” Sengupta said.
Pachauri was admitted to hospital last week for his heart condition, for which he has been receiving treatment since having a procedure to unblock his arteries in 2010.
The same court granted Pachauri “relief from arrest” on Monday (February 23), about a week after the female employee claimed he had repeatedly harassed her, including through emails, text and WhatsApp messages.
Pachauri has denied the allegations, saying his emails and mobile phone were hacked.
Lawyers and women's rights groups have demanded Pachauri resign as the head of his research institute, saying employees deserved an atmosphere free from sexual harassment and discrimination against women.
