Delhi court allows ex-TERI chief RK Pachauri to travel abroad again

A Delhi court has once again granted permission to former TERI chief RK Pachauri, accused in a sexual harassment case, to travel abroad.

Pachauri, currently on bail, was allowed to travel to Dominican Republic from November 22 to December 5 by metropolitan magistrate Shivani Chauhan on Saturday, after he moved an application.

The court allowed the application, filed through Pachauri's counsel Ashish Dixit, noting that the probe was complete and chargesheet has already been filed in the case.

"The investigation is complete and chargesheet has already been filed. The accused has been granted permission to travel abroad on several earlier occasions and has complied with the directions given by the court. "In these circumstances, the accused is permitted to travel as per his itinerary... subject to furnishing a local surety of Rs 2 lakh to the satisfaction of this court," the court said and directed him to give an undertaking that he shall appear in court in person or through counsel and not dispute his identity at a later stage.

The court also asked him to file a copy of his travel tickets and intimate the court after his return or any changes in his travel itinerary.

The court had on July 11 granted regular bail to Pachauri and allowed him to travel abroad after he appeared in pursuance to summons.

Pachauri has been allowed by the court to travel over a dozen times to various countries including the US, the UK, China, Japan, France, Kazakhstan, Bolivia, Kuwait, Mexico, Somalia and Saudi Arabia, during pendency of probe and proceedings.

The former TERI chief was summoned as accused by the court after it took cognisance of the chargesheet filed against him for allegedly sexually harassing an ex-colleague.

The court, while taking cognisance of the chargesheet, had said there was sufficient material to proceed against him under sections 354A (sexual harassment), 354B (assault against woman with intent to disrobe), 354D (stalking), 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult modesty of woman) and 341 (wrongful confinement) of the IPC.

The chargesheet, filed by Delhi Police on March 1 last year, had arrayed 23 prosecution witnesses, many of whom are present and former employees of The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI). Pachauri was granted an anticipatory bail in the case on March 21 last year and an FIR lodged against him on February 13 last year.