Pachauri won’t attend convocation on March 7.
By Sreekanth A Nair
The Energy and Research Institute (TERI) has asked Nobel Laureate Dr. RK Pachauri to go on indefinite leave following severe criticism for re-appointing the scientist who is facing sexual harassment charges, as the executive vice president of the institute.
“Dr. R.K. Pachauri, who had been at the Head of the Institute since 1982 will be on leave from TERI, TERI Governing Council, and TERI University till this is reviewed by the Governing Council given the sub judice nature of the matter,” said an official statement of the Institute.
He will not be attending the convocation ceremony at the institute scheduled on March 7. Some students at the Institute had said that they wouldn’t receive degrees from Pachauri.
Pachauri was appointed as the executive vice president with executive powers a few days back.
The emergency meeting of the governing council that took the decision also appointed Ashok Chawla (former Finance Secretary to the Government of India and former Chairman of the Competition Commission) as its new Chairman and also inducted the new Director General, Ajay Mathur, as a Member of the Council who will operate with full executive powers.
The process for the replacement of Pachauri as Director General of TERI culminated in the appointment of Dr. Ajay Mathur as Director General with full executive powers on July 23, 2015. However, as Dr. Mathur was able to join only on February 8, 2016 after he was finally relieved by the Government of India, the Governing Council effected various interim arrangements so as not to destabilize the operations of the Institute, the statement said.
A former woman employee of TERI who quit her job in 2003 alleged last February that Pachauri had sexually harassed her many times when she worked with the organization. This led to his expulsion from the institute as the Director General.
Earlier this week, the governing council decided to reappoint him as the executive vice president. This provoked the alleged victim and she expressed shock and concern over the decision.
A day later, another woman came up with same allegations against him which ultimately put the institute under pressure and compelled them to take such a decision.