A Delhi court today granted protection from arrest until 27 March to environmentalist RK Pachauri, in a sexual harassment case.

Additional Sessions Judge Raj Kumar Tripathi granted the interim protection to Pachauri while hearing his anticipatory bail application moved on health grounds.

The court has directed him to neither visit the premises of The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) nor to leave the country without permission.

Pachauri, who had Tuesday stepped down as chairperson of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), has denied the allegations against him but also proceeded on leave from TERI, where he was the director general.

His lawyer Ashish Bhan said in a release sent by Pachauri’s PR agency Ketchum Sampark: “We are happy that the court has granted anticipatory bail on the basis of a prima facie view that no custodial interrogation is required. All conditions imposed by the court are normal and routine conditions to allow a free and fair investigation of the case.”

The 75-year-old was Feb 21 admitted to a private hospital here on account of a heart problem, a TERI source told IANS The news about his hospitalisation came to light Wednesday.

Several activists, including advocates Indira Jaising and Vrinda Grover, yesterday questioned the TERI governing council for not initiating a “disciplinary” enquiry against him for acts of alleged misconduct and demanded that he must be “suspended pending the enquiry”.

In a strongly-worded letter to a member of the governing council, lawyer Indira Jaisingh, activist Kavita Krishnan, former Planning Commission member Syeda Hameed along with others, have sought “suspension” of Pachauri from his position pending an internal enquiry by the presiding officer of the internal complaints committee of TERI

The Padma Bhushan awardee is facing a complaint of alleged harassment by a female research analyst who has also lodged a police case. Citing several texts, emails, and WhatsApp messages as evidence to prove the claim of sexual harassment, the complainant accused Pachauri of harassing her soon after she joined the TERI in September 2013.