Embattled TERI Executive Vice Chairman R K Pachauri has in a series of emails available with the Observer claimed that his accuser was probably acting at the behest of unknown persons to trap him, for money.
Pachauri claims that the woman had access to all his five email accounts and to his poems that he had written over many years.
“What is disturbing [is] that right from the first day over a period of about 16 months she was creating and assembling an archive of messages, which to anyone would seem very unusual. As far as I know, the emails, text messages etc that she collected were personal, semi-personal and only in a few cases official,” he says.
Pachauri claims that somebody could have masqueraded as himself and sent the mails to her on his behalf.
“I was, during that period, extremely busy and carrying out email communications on six different email accounts. These included my Yale, IPCC, Teri official, Hotmail as well as Gmail accounts. I generally corresponded with her on my Gmail account, but since I had a huge volume of messages to deal with I did not frequently read my messages, except when I was alerted about a message waiting for me. When I did access this account, I would only read unread messages. Honestly, how many of us check our sent items regularly?”
He says that those who had unauthorized access to his poems turned it around to make it seem that they were addressed to her.
In one of the poems, he writes, “She’s so cold! Unrequited stays my love and arms empty and bare!/Yet in this poor man’s heart love for her incessantly grows/But she’s cold and for this love of mine Ms. ___ would never care.”
“The poems I have written and saved electronically all have some names or the other, particularly in the case of romantic poems, and these can be easily altered by replacing the name that is mentioned with anybody else’s name.”
The woman told the Observer through her lawyers that there is no truth in Pachauri’s claims that his computers were hacked and unauthorized persons gained access to his personal data.
“There are emails, SMS messages and WhatsApp messages which categorically prove to the contradictory. It is a blatant lie being stated by Mr Pachauri,” said her lawyer, Prashant Mendiratta.
Pachauri has sought to lay the blame on the woman claiming that she was the one who flirted with him.
“She actively flirted with me and aggressively encouraged a deeper relationship between us.”
Documents filed with the court by Pachauri’s lawyer show that, on 29 September 2013, the woman purportedly wrote in an email: “I am learning as I always say and if I may, please allow me to hug you when deem[ed] appropriate if you cannot seem to hug me and rightly so. I hold nothing against you at all and never will.”
In another, she allegedly says: “Remember how I first met you and what followed next? It was all the inside of me telling me that I must pursue it with this particular man. I will be happy with what makes you happy as long as that brings you satisfaction and sense of belonging.”
She further allegedly writes: “Yes, I may not have taken a step towards you in the direction you want me to but I think I did take a few so as to always ensure that I am around and there for you even if silently. You have no idea how much I value you and how weird it feels when you are on travel or not in office; the invigoration that you bring, is so missing.”
The woman’s lawyer has denied claims that she was flirting. “My client was not flirting with him or making advances to him. At no point did she encourage him or give him any reason to make inappropriate physical contact or demand sexual favours.”
Pachauri maintains, “From my perspective this was nothing but a very cordial and mutual relationship. There was a light and friendly tone to our correspondence, but at no stage did I ever hint at having a physical relationship nor did I in any way engage in sexual harassment.”
Meanwhile, the Delhi Police has said in its charge sheet filed before a court in New Delhi on March 4 that there is "sufficient evidence" against R K Pachauri that he sexually harassed, stalked and threatened his former woman colleague.
Pachauri has steadfastly denied all the allegations against him so far.
With accusations and counter-accusations flying thick and fast, it remains to be seen how the case pans out in the coming days and months.