Former TERI chief RK Pachauri, facing allegations of sexually harassing a former female colleague, will not have to seek the court's permission any more to go abroad, with a Delhi court allowing his plea for discharge of surety, on Thursday.
In a span of two years during the investigation since the FIR was filed, Pachauri was allowed to travel abroad over two dozen times to a number of countries.
The court allowed his application for discharge of surety while considering an earlier order of the sessions court according to which he could not leave the country without permission till the investigation was over.
Directing that Rs 5 lakh furnished as surety by the accused be discharged, Metropolitan Magistrate Chetna Singh said:
It has been stated that as per the order dated March 21, 2015, certain conditions were imposed upon the accused which included seeking prior permission of the court by him before leaving the country till investigation is over. Now the charge sheet has been filed and investigation is over. It is clear that surety given for travelling abroad is not required for any further purposes and the FDR in the sum of Rs 5 lakh be released to the surety. Surety stands discharged. Original documents, if any, be returned to the rightful claimant against acknowledgement. Accordingly, the application stands disposed of.
In his application filed through advocate Ashish Dixit, the 74-year-old Pachauri submitted that chargesheet has already been filed and he was granted regular bail by a magisterial court in July last year.
"The applicant has travelled abroad over two dozen times with prior permission of the court" and has "meticulously complied with all the conditions imposed on him while granting permission," his plea said.
The sessions court had on 21 March 2015 granted anticipatory bail to Pachauri while imposing several conditions on him including that he would not leave the country without prior permission of the court till the probe was over. He was granted regular bail on 11 July last year.
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