New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Tuesday restrained a media house from publication of reports on the proceedings and outcome of the inquiry against TERI Director General Rajendra K Pachauri on an alleged sexual harassment complaint filed against him by a woman research analyst.
A bench of justices B D Ahmed and Sanjeev Sachdeva, in an interim order effective till May 15, also asked The Energy and Resources Institute's (TERI) Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) not to make public its findings.
The statutory three-month inquiry period for ICC, set up by TERI, is set to expire on May 16.
"Renotify on May 15. In the meanwhile, any steps taken by the respondents (media house and a journalist) shall comply with Section 16 (prohibition of publication or making known contents of complaint and inquiry proceedings) of the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act...," the court said.
74-year-old Pachauri, who was facing allegations of sexual harassment, approached the division bench after the single bench on February 18 had refused his request for complete restraint on the media from reporting on the outcome of the inquiry initiated against him under the Sexual Harassment at Workplace Act.
Pachauri, who appeared in person, has challenged the single bench order allowing the publication and airing of reports regarding the action taken by police, the proceedings of the complaint filed by the complainant before the committee, and connected court proceedings.
On February 13, an FIR was registered against Pachauri on charges of sexual harassment under sections 354, 354(a), 354(d) (molestation) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the IPC at Lodhi Colony Police Station.
Currently, Pachauri is on anticipatory bail, granted by the trial court on March 21.
Pachauri has proceeded on leave voluntarily to facilitate an unbiased impartial inquiry.
