RK Pachauri on leave, Ashok Chawla new chief of Teri

Environmentalist R.K. Pachauri, who is facing sexual harassment charges, was asked to go on leave from Teri, its governing council and university amid mounting outrage over his elevation to executive vice-chairman, even as chairman B.V. Sreekantan, who resigned on Friday, was replaced by former Union finance secretary and Competition Commission ex-chief Ashok Chawla. Mr Sreekantan was a member of the governing council for over 40 years.

The developments come a day after Mr Ajay Mathur was appointed as the new director-general of the think tank. Soon after joining, the new chairman reportedly disclosed that an external ombudsman would be appointed to go into any complaints of sexual harassment in future.

The trouble for former Teri D-G R.K. Pachauri, meanwhile, continued to mount with protests outside the institute’s office on Friday, demanding his removal.