Will TERI council reverse appointment of RK Pachauri as executive vice chairman?

New Delhi: The governing council of The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) has called a meeting on Friday where it is expected to have a relook at decisions taken earlier this week, in the wake of growing outrage over RK Pachauri's appointment as executive vice chairman.

The council – the think tank's highest decision-making body - is believed to be under pressure to reverse the decision in order to undo the damage done to TERI’s image.

Pachauri is fighting a case of sexual harassment filed against him by an employee of TERI, who later quit the organisation.

Earlier this week, another ex-employee of the think tank levelled similar allegations against Pachauri, who is currently out on bail.

Also this week, a group of students at TERI University said that they would not accept degrees from Pachauri to be awarded at the convocation ceremony scheduled for March 7.

Amid all this, Pachauri - the Chancellor of TERI University – has proceeded on leave.

The university’s acting vice chancellor Rajiv Seth could not say when will Pachauri rejoin.

Pachauri's critics say the former TERI director general has in fact been promoted by being appointed as the executive vice chairman, a post created recently.

The development came after Ajay Mathur joined TERI as director general.

Pachauri's lawyer, however, said in court this week that the appointment is a demotion for the former TERI boss, and not a promotion.