RK Pachauri gets minor reprieve from Delhi HC in plea for cancellation of bail

Former TERI chief Rajendra K Pachauri can breathe easy for sometime. A single judge Bench of Justice SP Garg adjourned the plea for cancellation of his bail that was moved by a former TERI employee. The sexual harassment saga that has seen many twists and turns along the way, even when it comes to this particular plea..The matter was first listed before Justice Sunita Gupta yesterday who then posted the matter before Justice Garg since he had heard the matter on two previous occasions. Yesterday, Senior advocate Dayan Krishnan had appeared on behalf of Pachauri while Prashant Mendiratta is the counsel for the former TERI employee..Today, Justice Garg expressed some surprise at the plea to cancel bail, commenting,.“Another round of litigation in the matter?”.While the counsels pressed for not cancelling the bail, Justice Garg stoically said,.“I am not saying anything and nor am I passing any order. We will hear the Delhi Police and the concerned parties.”.The lady in question had earlier levelled sexual harassment charges against Pachauri, alleging that he had harassed her since September 2013. Pursuant to registration of a first information report (FIR), Pachauri had successfully moved a trial court for grant of anticipatory bail. The anticipatory bail had been granted upon the condition that Pachauri should not enter the premises of TERI and also join the investigation as and when required to do so. Pachuari had to also furnish a personal bond of Rs. 50,000..The plea for cancellation of anticipatory bail was moved by the employee citing evidence tampering and influencing of witnesses. She had submitted in her petition that a “free and fair investigation could not be carried out if the accused was allowed to move freely.”.Alleging that Pachauri was “dictating what needs to be said to the witnesses” and thereby acting in blatant violation of the conditions imposed on him by the Trial Court, the complainant had stated that “grave prejudice” would be caused to her if the anticipatory bail to Pachauri was not cancelled..After a brief hearing , the Bench posted the matter to July 16th, 2015.