A day after R K Pachauri resigned as the chief of the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in the face of a sexual harassment case, prominent civil society activists on Wednesday demanded his suspension from his position as director general of The Energy and Resources Institute, a Delhi-based renewable energy and sustainable development think-tank.

They also expressed apprehensions that material evidence like emails and other communication at Teri could be destroyed if Pachauri is allowed to continue as its director general.

In a letter to Teri's governing council comprising eight members, senior lawyers Indira Jaising and Vrinda Grover and a number of other social activists questioned how Pachauri was allowed to have the "extraordinary benefit" of going on leave, saying it adds "insult to injury".

Teri's spokesperson, however, said the organization has not yet received the letter.
Pachauri, who has been in a hospital for three days for treatment of a cardiac ailment, proceeded on leave from Teri on Tuesday. A statement from the organization said he has "proceeded on leave for the time being". In their letter to Teri's governing council, the activists said, "The question we wish to raise with you is that why have you not considered it appropriate to suspend R K Pachauri from his position as director general of the institution pending the inquiry."

"We request that disciplinary proceedings be initiated against him forthwith if he fails to resign," the letter said.

"We write to you (Teri) in our capacity as concerned citizens to call upon R K Pachauri to resign from the position of Teri DG. You (Teri) alone have the power to do and if he fails to do so you have the power to terminate his engagement as Teri DG," said the letter, addressed jointly to the eight governing council members including industrialists, environmentalists and scientists.

Apart from Jaising and Grover, others signatories were former Planning Commission member Syeda Hameed, secretary of All India Progressive Women's Association Kavita Krishnan, director of Jagori Suneeta Dhar, senior journalist Pamela Philipose, PUCL national secretary Kavita Srivastava and Jawaharlal Nehru University professor Nivedita Menon.