R.K. Pachauri, former director general of The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) who was accused of sexual misconduct died on Thursday, February 13, 2020 after a prolonged heart ailment. He was 79. Pachauri was the chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) from 2002 – 2015. During his tenure the IPCC was awarded with Nobel Peace prize.
Pachauri, a leading environmentalist and crusader for climate change died peacefully at his residence on the evening of February 13, 2020, his family said in a statement. Pachauri was recently admitted to Delhi’s famous Escorts hospital for treatment. He had undergone an open heart surgery at the hospital after getting a stroke last year.
TERI’s present director general, Dr. Ajay Mathur, the successor of Pachauri, in a statement said, “It is with immense sadness that we announce the passing away of Dr RK Pachauri, the Founder Director of TERI. The entire TERI family stands with the family of Dr Pachauri in this hour of grief.”
Dr. Pachauri who rose to unprecedented heights in his professional career had an unceremonious exit from TERI following the lodging of a complaint of sexual harassment by one of his subordinates in the organization. The woman’s complaint eventually resulted in his exit from TERI and a Delhi court framed molestation charges against him in October 2018. Pachauri however continued to assert his innocence.
