RK Pachauri case: After ET, Arnab Goswami to tender unconditional apology for ‘media trial’

Republic TV editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami has told the Delhi high court that he will tender an unconditional apology in a contempt case filed by environmentalist Rajendra Kumar Pachauri, LiveLaw reported.

Pachauri, who died in 2020, had filed a contempt of court case in 2016 accusing several media houses of “fragrant and wilful disobedience” of two court orders restricting reportage on sexual harassment allegations against the former executive vice chairman of TERI. He had said that the media reports were defamatory and prejudiced his case. 

Goswami’s claim comes after an unconditional apology by Economic Times and its editor Raghav Ohri. Former NDTV promoter Prannoy Roy is also likely to follow suit. 

Goswami was the editor-in-chief of Times Now when the contempt case was filed in 2016 – the year when the Delhi police lodged a case of sexual harassment, stalking and criminal intimidation against Pachauri.

A 29-year-old research analyst at TERI had accused Pachauri, who headed the Delhi-based research institute at the time, of sexual harassment. A subsequent probe by an internal committee at TERI had also said that Pachauri’s conduct amounted to misuse of his position and violation of the institute’s policy on sexual harassment.

The allegations included claims that Pachauri sent suggestive text messages, e-mails and WhatsApp messages harassing the complainant, who also gave a detailed testimony to a local court. Pachauri denied the charges and his attorneys claimed that his messages were hacked in an attempt to malign him.