NEW DELHI: In an alleged sexual harassment case against the former chief of The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), RK Pachauri, a Delhi court has said that the complainant is intentionally delaying the case hearing after the complainant’s counsel did not appear for the court proceedings.
The court said that no further opportunity would be granted for filing written arguments to the complainant as it appeared that her counsel was intentionally delaying the disposal of the application.
“This is no ground at all as it is settled law that if a Counsel is busy in some other court, then request for an adjournment or seeking pass over on this ground can’t be entertained. Today, the case is passed over twice. It is 12:42 pm,” said Presiding Officer, Industrial Tribunal, Jitendra Kumar Mishra.
The family members of Pachauri had filed an application seeking to quash the Internal Complaints Committee report which had termed Pachauri as guilty.
Pachauri, who passed away in 2020, had already challenged the report of the Internal Complaints Committee.
Now his family is seeking to quash the report findings. In 2018, a Delhi court had framed charges against former TERI chief in an alleged sexual harassment case filed against him by a ex-colleague in 2015.
Metropolitan Magistrate Charu Gupta ordered framing of charges against Pachauri under IPC sections 354 (assault to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 354A (sexual harassment), and 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult modesty of a woman).