RK Pachauri seeks court's nod to go abroad to attend global meet

New Delhi: TERI Director General RK Pachauri, facing sexual harassment allegations from a woman employee, on Tuesday approached a Delhi court seeking its nod to go to China and Japan to attend global meet on environmental issues from August 21 to September 1.

In his application, Pachauri said all his meetings are part of his occupation to "earn livelihood and denial of the same shall violate Article 19(1)(G) (to practise any profession, or to carry out any occupation) of the Constitution."

Pachauri said that being a world-renowned scientist on global climate change, he was scheduled to deliver a lecture on a report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) at the International Ecosystem Management Partnership (IEMP) in China from August 22-28.

"The applicant is scheduled to meet various scientists of the world and deliver lecture on the IPCC 5th assessment report which was prepared under his chairmanship," he said.

The plea said that after the IEMP, he is scheduled to attend a meeting in Tokyo with Professor Katsuya Kodama, senior founder of U-brain TV.

"The applicant shall be meeting the professor for discussion on the implementation of the MoU entered between U-brain TV and TERI for promoting and bringing awareness for sustainable development. The meeting is scheduled on August 28 in the evening. Thereafter, on August 29, the applicant is scheduled meet Dr Wakako Hironaka, former Minister of Environment, Japan," Pachauri said in his plea.

His plea will come up for hearing before the court tomorrow.

Pachauri sought the court's permission saying he would arrive in India on August 30.

"Therefore, the applicant is seeking permission to travel from August 21 to September 1," he said adding that he will abide with the conditions imposed if any by the court.

On July 17, court had allowed Pachauri to enter his office premises barring the head office here and a branch in Gurgaon.

Earlier on March 21, the court had granted him anticipatory bail while imposing the conditions that he will join the probe as and when called and not enter the TERI office premises.

On February 13, an FIR was registered against Pachauri on charges of sexual harassment under IPC sections 354, 354 (a), 354(d) (molestation) and 506 (criminal intimidation).

TERI governing council had on July 23 appointed Dr Ajay Mathur, currently director general of Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), as its Director General.

Mathur will take up his new responsibilities as soon as he is in a position to do so subsequent to being relieved from his current responsibilities by the government after a brief transition period, a TERI statement had said last month.

Pachauri had also stepped down from United Nations' IPCC and the Prime Minister's Council on Climate Change.