RK Pachauri, former head of The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), has been reinstated in the organisation as Executive Vice-Chairman, despite ongoing legal cases against him for alleged sexual harassment.

Pachauri, who was accused of sexual harassment by a junior colleague in TERI in 2015, had remained at the helm of the organisation, despite court orders prohibiting him from entering the headquarters of TERI.

The environmentalist had also resigned from his post as chairman of UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change last year.

According to sources, the post of executive vice-chairman was created exclusively for Pachauri.

Ajay Mathur, former head of the Bureau of Energy Efficiency, who was nominated by the TERI board to head the organisation as Pachauri’s successor, has also joined TERI as the Director-General starting Tuesday.

Mathur had been nominated in July and it is believed that the delay in his joining was due to Pachauri asking for a post with executive powers before vacating his position as the Director-General. Pachauri assumed his duties as Director-General after permission of the Court on July 21, 2015, and since then he was functioning as DG, TERI.

The Governing Council appointed Ajay Mathur as Director-General (Designate) on July 23, 2015, and he assumed his duties subsequent to completion of his assignment with the Government of India on February 8, 2016.

Related Topics