Pachauri misused his power as TERI head, says chargesheet in sexual harrassment case

On 3 September, 2013, the complainant accusing RK Pachauri, ex Director General of The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) of sexual harassment had received an SMS, allegedly from Pachauri. The SMS had read “From now onwards I shall call you LIFE: Lovely Inspiration of Excessive Fondness,” reported an Economic Times article. This is one of the many lecherous messages, emails and inappropriate advances recorded in the 500-page chargesheet that has been compiled against Pachauri.

NDTV reported that the chargesheet will also include statements of 25 key witnesses. Scroll.in also reported that the Delhi police concluded that Pachauri was guilty of “outraging the modesty of a woman”, in addition to sexually harassing her, stalking and trying to intimidate the complainant. The chargesheet also states that Pachauri had misused his powers as the Director General of TERI and that there was “enough evidence to prosecute” Pachauri.

According to the ET report, Pachauri had made 34 calls to the complainant from his mobile phone between February 2014 and March 2015, the complainant called him 26 times. In addition to this, the chargesheet also lists 6000 SMSes, Whatsapp messages exchanged between Pachauri and the complainant between September 2013 and February 2015. Pachauri has denied the allegations, claiming that his email ids, mobile phone and WhatsApp messages have been hacked. But the police, however, will not wait for a Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) report — the report will be filed in supplementary chargesheet when its received.