TERI has ended its last major association with RK Pachauri who has been facing sexual harassment charges with former finance secretary Ashok Chawla replacing him as the chancellor of the university.
The announcement of Chawla replacing Pachauri was conveyed to the students of the university on Tuesday by its pro vice chancellor Rajiv Seth.
Earlier named as the chairman of TERI, Chawla will replace Pachauri who had gone on leave after communicating that he would skip the institution’s convocation in March after a group of students refused to receive degrees from him.
Asked whether Pachauri’s association with TERI and its university has ended, Seth confirmed the development to PTI saying “Yes”.
Although the decision was taken during a meeting on 19 August, we had a board of management meeting yesterday. So I thought it would be prudent to announce to the students only after that. I passed the information to the students today.Rajiv Seth, Pro Vice Chancellor
Asked whether Pachauri continues to remain on leave, Seth said, “There is a new chancellor now. So the leave automatically ceases”.
Asked when Chawla will join, Seth said, “He is already the chancellor. He (Chawla) is travelling as of now. He will be back by end of the week.”
TERI’s Governing Council had appointed Chawla as its new Chairman and inducted Ajay Mathur as the new Director General.
On 13 February last year an FIR was registered against Pachauri on charges of sexual harassment of a former employee under IPC sections 354, 354(a), 354(d) (molestation) and 506 (criminal intimidation).
In February this year another woman came out in public making similar allegations against Pachauri.
The woman, who claimed Pachauri made sexual advances at her more than 10 years ago, had also slammed TERI for appointing Pachauri as executive vice-chairman.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)