HC rejects plea seeking cancellation of Pachauri's bail

The Delhi high court on Friday dismissed a woman’s plea seeking cancellation of the anticipatory bail granted by a trial court to The Energy and Resources Institute executive vice chairman R K Pachauri who is accused in a sexual harassment case.

The court passed the order on the plea of a former female research analyst of TERI, who has alleged that a ‘free and fair investigation’ cannot be carried out if Pachauri was ‘allowed to roam around freely’.

Earlier, the complainant’s counsel Prashant Mendiratta had alleged in the court that Pachauri had ‘dictated what needs to be said to the witnesses’ in the case and claimed there was 'overwhelming evidence' to show that he had misused bail conditions.

Referring to a March 21, 2015 order, by which Pachauri was granted anticipatory bail, the woman submitted that the lower court had ‘miserably failed’ to appreciate the evidence gathered by the police to demonstrate that Pachauri, in violation of court orders, was in active touch with TERI officials and influencing witnesses.

During the hearing on the plea before the high court, the Delhi police had also sought cancellation of Pachauri’s liberty claiming he was influencing witnesses and misusing the bail conditions.

Pachauri, however, had denied the police’s claim stating there was ‘nothing on record to suggest that he had influenced witnesses or any other person related to the present case or interfered in the investigation’.

Recently, police had filed a charge sheet in the case against Pachauri before a trial court for the alleged offences under several sections including 354 (outraging woman’s modesty), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) of the Indian Penal Code.

Pachauri has denied all the allegations levelled against him.