Though steeped in controversy, former Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change chief Rajendra Pachauri was offered some relief as a court in Delhi grants him interim bail which prevents him from being arrested until Mar. 27 for sexual harassment charges.
But though protected from arrest, Pachauri is not allowed by the court to leave India without permission and is banned from making direct or indirect communication with The Energy Resources Institute, his think tank based in Delhi, as the complainant who filed the sexual harassment case against if is from TERI.
Pachauri has denied the allegations but resigned from his post as IPCC chief Tuesday as he will no longer be able to provide the "strong leadership" the panel requires to do its work due to his current circumstances. However, he said he is willing to help out the panel should it need anything from him in the future.
In 2007, he accepted a Nobel Peace Prize in behalf of the IPCC, a distinction the panel shared with former vice-president Al Gore. Pachauri has been heading the IPCC since 2002. Before that, he has fulfilled various capacities for the United Nations, even participating in the Kyoto Protocol.
According to the 29-year-old woman who filed the case against Pachauri, she has text messages and other communication to prove the IPCC chief's indecent actions, which began in September 2013 after she joined TERI. To counter this, Pachauri's camp claims his mobile phone and email account have been hacked.
Pachauri was admitted to a hospital in Delhi Wednesday after complaining of cardiac problems. His lawyer Siddharth Luthra used Pachauri's health condition as one of the supporting arguments to convince the court to grant his client interim bail.
The prosecution is against granting bail because the allegations against Pachauri are serious and he hasn't been fully interrogated yet. Luthra defends his client, insisting the former IPCC chief has been completely cooperating with investigators.
"Usually, the investigating officer has to be informed before anticipatory bail is granted. We did not get any notice, and neither was the investigating officer present in court," said Prashant Mehndiratta, the victim's lawyer. Mehndiratta claims the Delhi court provided Pachauri protection illegally.
If convicted, the former IPCC chief is looking at a jail term lasting anywhere between one and five years. Mehndiratta is confident they have a strong case as the complainant has provided Delhi police with overwhelming evidence to incriminate Pachauri.
