"No evidence" to back Rajendra Pachauri's claim of being victim of hacking: Delhi Police

NEW DELHI: In what appears to be a setback for former UN climate panel chief Rajendra Pachauri, the Delhi Police has found "no evidence" to back his claim that he had been a victim of hacking. The 74-year-old scientist, facing charges of sexual harassment, had complained to the Delhi Police on February 17 that his computers, electronic equipments including his mobile phone were hacked by "unknown cyber criminals".

In a report to a Delhi court, the police said that the hacking claim was intended to counter charges leveled by a female research analyst who worked in Pachauri’s office at The Earth Research Institute (Teri), a Delhi-based think tank. These charges form the basis of a FIR against Pachauri.

"Now during preliminary inquiries and CDR analysis no evidence came on record that his mobile phone and other equipments have been hacked during conversation with complainant," according to the police report. The report also alleges that Pachauri has "changed his stand" after the police failed to unearth any evidence of hacking.

"Now Dr Pachauri has intimated vide letter March 6 that ‘I wish to bring to your kind attention that my personal e-mail accounts were easily accessible to the staff at my office, as I did not type long-emails personally’," as per the report which was submitted last week.

The Police have told the Court that "this change in stand indicates that Dr Pachauri had filed the previous complaint of hacking to counter the complaint/FIR filed against him and managed to seek the interim relief by misleading the facts before the Court".

Pachauri was granted anticipatory bail by the court which rejected claims by the Police that he was "hampering investigation" and "influencing witnesses". The complainant is likely to approach the Delhi HC in appeal against the lower Court order.