Notice to publisher on Pachauri's plea for blanking coverage

The Delhi High Court on Friday heard a plea of TERI director general Rajendra K. Pachauri who challenged the single-judge order allowing publication of reports on the alleged sexual harassment complaint by a woman research analyst against him.

A division bench of Justice B.D. Ahmed and Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva issued notice to publisher Bennett Coleman and Co. Ltd., on whose application earlier the single judge had allowed publication of news on outcome of the proceedings before the sexual harassment committee, and court proceedings.

The court sought response from publisher by May 12.

Pachauri, who was present in court sought a restraining order on publication of reports relating to the alleged complaint. On Feb 17, the single judge restrained publication of news on the issue, but the next day (Feb 18), modified the order and lifted the ban, against which Pachari appealed in division bench.

Pachauri stepped down as chairperson of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in February and proceeded on leave from The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), where he was the director general. But he has denied the allegations of sexual harassment levelled against him.

Citing several SMS texts, e-mails and WhatsApp messages as evidence, the woman has accused Pachauri of sexually harassing her soon after she joined TERI in September 2013 and filed complaint in February 2015.

Pachauri was granted anticipatory bail on March 21 but was directed not to leave the country without the court's permission.