Nainital: Indian Forest Service officer accused of sexual harassment gets relief from High Court

Nainital, April 30 -- An Indian Forest Service officer and former Member Secretary of the Pollution Control Board (PCB), Sushant Kumar Patnaik, accused of sexual harassment, has received temporary relief from the High Court. The court has stayed the implications of the investigation conducted under the Vishakha Committee guidelines, effectively halting further action against him for now.

Patnaik is accused of sexually harassing a subordinate employee in his office in February last year. An FIR has been registered against him at the Rajpur police station in Dehradun, and he has been removed from his position as Member Secretary of the PCB. Following the allegations, a committee was formed under the leadership of the then-Dehradun Chief De...