Harassment case against RK Pachauri: Ranjana Saikia quits Teri complaint committee

NEW DELHI: Ranjana Saikia, who headed the three-member internal complaints committee (ICC) at The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) that found director general RK Pachauri guilty of sexual harassment, has resigned. The committee, which had also upheld allegations of stalking and criminal intimidation against him, has been reconstituted by TERI—a decision that has been taken by Pachauri and two others, the organization said.

Having gone on leave the day Pachauri rejoined TERI in the last week of July, Saikia relinquished charge as head of the ICC and submitted her resignation on Monday. An industrial tribunal had stayed the operation of the ICC report in May after Pachauri said it violated the principles of natural justice.

The committee had backed the allegations leveled by the complainant against Pachauri, as first reported by ET on May 23. The 29-year-old complainant, a research analyst in Pachauri's office, has sought vacation of the stay and asked the Delhi High Court for immediate action against him.

Following Saikia's resignation, TERI reconstituted the ICC on Wednesday in line with the "directive of the competent authority," according to a mail to employees by human resources director Dinesh Varma.

"The new ICC has been constituted after Ms Saikia chose to relinquish her charge as head of ICC and sent a note to this effect to the director general," Varma told ET.