Under fire RK Pachauri gets temporary relief, granted interim bail till March 28

Facing allegations of sexual harassment, Rajendra K Pachauri, was on Thursday granted protection from arrest till March 28, but he has been barred from entering TERI office by the court. 

Under the conditions of his bail, he will reportedly not be able to leave the country, nor indirectly or directly contact any TERI employee. He will also pledge to not influence witnesses and will be required to cooperate in the probe whenever needed.

Pachauri, on Monday (Feb-23) resigned as Chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), whose meeting he had skipped.

The decision of Pachauri, who has been accused by a woman employee of TERI he heads of sexual harassment, was made public by the IPCC at its 3-day 41st Session. 

"The actions taken will ensure that the IPCC's mission to assess climate change continues without interruption," Achim Steiner, Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), who facilitated the Bureau meeting, had said.

Pachauri, was pulled out of an IPCC meeting in Kenya after the Delhi police started an investigation into a sexual harassment complaint against him.

Pachauri has denied the allegations, according to a court order. Pachauri has also suffered cardiac problems.

Pachauri was elected to the first of two terms as Chair of the IPCC in April 2002 and had been scheduled to complete his second term in October.