Court asks IO to supply documents to ex-TERI chief Pachauri

A court here has directed the investigating officer (IO) to supply copies of certain documents, including emails and photos filed in the charge sheet, to former TERI chief R K Pachauri in a case of alleged sexual harassment lodged against him by his ex-colleague.
The court issued notice to the IO to appear in person and give the documents to Pachauri on the next date of hearing on February 7, when it will also hear arguments on his plea seeking to restrain the complainant from speaking to the media about the case.
"Notice be issued to the IO to appear in person for supply of documents for next date of hearing," Metropolitan Magistrate Deepti Devesh said.

The former TERI chief had earlier secured an order from Additional District Judge that makes it mandatory for media houses to publish or telecast the coverage of the case with a title that "In any court the allegations have not been proved and they may not be correct."
The interim order also said "when such information is published in any page of a magazine or report, then it should be in middle of the page in bold letters and it should be five times larger than the font in which the article is being published."
In the order that was passed on January 3, the court noted that Pachauri's counsel Ashish Dixit has received a copy of the statements of 13 female employees of TERI which were recorded by the police as a part of the investigation.

The court also took on record a copy of the transcript of a June 2, 2017 TV interview of the woman complainant which was played before it and heard part arguments on the application seeking to restrain the woman from interacting with media.

The court put up the application for hearing on the next date after the complainant's counsel sought time to file reply on it.
"Counsel for complainant seeks sometime for filing reply/ arguments on the said application. Time is given only till next date of hearing to the complainant.
"Put up for supply of documents as well as reply/further arguments on application seeking directions against the complainant on February 7, 2018," the court said.

The application has alleged that the complainant was giving statements in the media "to prejudice the case of the applicant".
Over 1,400-page charge sheet was filed by Delhi Police on March 1, 2016, saying there was "sufficient evidence" against Pachauri that he had sexually harassed, stalked and threatened the complainant.
A supplementary charge sheet was filed in March 2017 after the police said it retrieved several deleted emails and chats exchanged between the accused and the complainant.
The final report had said that deleted SMS and WhatsApp chats, text messages, retrieved from the cell phones, computer hard disks and other devices, were "not fabricated".

The charge sheet, which was filed a year after the former research analyst of TERI lodged the complaint, had said Pachauri had committed offences under sections 354 of IPC by outraging her modesty, 354A by making physical contact, unwelcome and sexually coloured remarks, 354D as he followed her through emails and messages.
Besides these, sections 506 (threat) and 509 (teasing and using vulgar gesture and actions) were also included.
Pachauri has denied all the allegations against him.
On February 13, 2015 an FIR was registered against him and he was granted anticipatory bail in the case on March 21.