RK Pachauri said he was issuing the statement "to provide the media with information" about his "stepping down" from TERI's Governing Council. (File photo)
Highlights
- Recent reports said TERI had decided to 'sever' ties with RK Pachauri
- Mr Pachauri, however, issued a statement about his 'stepping down'
- Mr Pachauri has been accused of harassment by his ex-women colleagues
Noted environmentalist RK Pachauri, who has been accused of sexual harassment by his former women colleagues, has stepped down as a member of the Governing Council of TERI.
In a statement released today, Dr Pachauri said, "My term as a Member of the Governing Council ended on March 31, 2016, and I felt that it was time for me to move away and get engaged in other interests which I have harboured over the past few years for activities at the global level.
The announcement came on the heels of a report in The Hindu, which said the green body has decided to "sever" association with Mr Pachauri. It said the Governing Council had also decided to pay all the dues for the remainder of his tenure and bring an immediate end to it.
TERI has not confirmed the news report, reported news agency Press Trust of India. "The Governing Council of TERI met on April 18, 2016. Several decisions were taken in the meeting. The minutes of the meeting are currently awaiting approval," PTI quoted a TERI spokesperson as saying.
Mr Pachauri said he was issuing the statement "to provide the media with information" about his "stepping down" from TERI's Governing Council.
An employee of TERI took Dr Pachauri to court in In February 2015, claiming soon after she joined the think tank in 2013, he had sexually harassed her via email, WhatsApp and text messages. He has denied all charges.
This February, a second former TERI employee told NDTV she was also sexually harassed by the scientist between 2003 and 2004. In March, a third woman, a foreign national, too said she was sexually harassed by Dr Pachauri.
An internal inquiry committee of TERI found Dr Pachauri guilty of misconduct, but he remained at the think tank as its executive vice-chairman -- a move widely criticised by women's right activists and the students of the institute.