INTRODUCTION

The Sexual Harassment of women at workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act 2013 was enacted to ensure protection for women against sexual harassment at workplace. The act is based on the guidelines issued by the Supreme Court in the Vishakha v. State of Rajasthan case. The guidelines were based on the CEDAW convention ratified by India in 1993. Prior to the Vishakha case, there was no specific mechanism to protect women against sexual harassment at the workplace. The POSH Act 2013 has imposed certain obligations on the employers with regard to the prevention of sexual harassment at the workplace. The compliance with these obligations is mandatory for the employers.

COMPLIANCE MECHANISM

The POSH Act 2013 is applicable to every establishment, organization, company employing ten or more workers. It is applicable to both private and public organizations. Under section 4 of the act, the employers are obligated to establish an internal complaints committee (ICC) to inquire into reports of sexual harassment faced by the aggrieved woman at the workplace. Before initiating an inquiry, the ICC can facilitate the process of conciliation under Section 10 of the act. However, the request for conciliation should come from the side of the aggrieved woman and there shall be no monetary settlement as the basis of conciliation. The ICC can recommend action to be taken against the defendant in line with the service rules applicable to such an employee or it can dismiss the complaint against the employee and recommend that no action be taken against him. Under Section 12 of the act, the ICC can also take certain actions during the pendency of the complaint.

Section19

The duties of the employers are given under Section 19 of the POSH Act 2013. All the employers to whom the act applies need to comply with the duties. The employers are required to provide a safe working environment and shall provide safety from the persons coming into contact at the workplace. Further, the employers need to display the penal consequences of sexual harassment at a conspicuous place in the workplace. The constitution and details of the Internal Complaints Committee needs to be mentioned as well.  Third, the employers are required to organize workshops and other awareness programs for sensitizing their employees with the act and also organize orientation programs for the members of the Internal Complaints Committee. Fourth, the employers need to provide adequate facilities and assistance to Internal Complaints Committee and the Local Complaints Committee for the purpose of looking into the complaint and conducting an inquiry. Fifth, the employers have a duty to secure the attendance of the defendant and the witnesses before the Internal Complaints Committee or the Local Complaints Committee. The employers need to provide assistance to the aggrieved woman in case she chooses to file a complaint under the Indian Penal Code (Now Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita) or any other law for the time being in force. The employer must initiate action against the defendant under the provisions of the IPC (Now BNS) or any other law in force if the perpetrator is not an employee of the workplace when the incident takes place. The employer is also under an obligation to monitor the timely submission of the reports of the Internal Complaints Committee.

Section 21

Under Section 21, the Internal Complaints Committee or the Local Complaints Committee shall submit an annual report to the District Officer in each calendar year. Furthermore, under Section 22 of the act, the employer has an obligation to include the number of cases filed and their disposal in the annual report of the organization. If such a report is not required to be made, the employer must intimate the number of the cases to the district officer. Under Section 25, the Central Government has the power to call upon any employer to furnish information relating to sexual harassment. The penalties for non-compliance with the provisions of this act is given under Section 26. If an employer fails to establish an Internal Complaints Committee or fails to take action under Sections 13, 14 and 22 or violates or abets to attempts to contravene any of the provisions or rules made under the act, he shall be liable to a fine of upto Rs. 50,000.

Section 26

Section 26 also states that if the employer has already been convicted under the act and he commits the same offence again then he shall be subjected to twice the punishment that was given under the first conviction. Furthermore, the Government or the local authority can also cancel his license or withdraw or refuse to renew or cancel his registration.

CASE LAWS

In the recent case of Aureliano Fernandes v. State of Goa(2023), the Supreme court observed that despite the presence of the POSH Act, the implementation and enforcement of the act has been lackluster. This could be attributed to the fact that there is less confidence in in the process, lack of procedural awareness and failure to strictly adhere to the enforcement mechanism. The apex court had also issued certain guidelines in this case. It stated that union, states and the union territories must ensure that all concerned ministries are following the provisions of the act. Further the court had also called for the mechanism of reporting complaints online to be setup. The rules, constitution and other details of the Internal Complaints Committee must be put on the website of the company/organization. Effective measures must be taken up by the employers to familiarize the Internal Complaints Committee with regard to the manner in which an inquiry is to be conducted.

CONCLUSION

The POSH Act 2013 provides a comprehensive compliance mechanism for the redressal of grievances relating to sexual harassment at the workplace. The employers need to adhere to the comply with the obligations provided under the act. The failure to do so could make the employer liable under Section 26 of the act.

Contributed By – Kritavirya Choudhary (Intern)

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