Supreme Court urges Centre and States to take immediate steps for full implementation of POSH Act

On Tuesday, the Supreme Court directed the Centre and states to ensure that Internal Committees (ICs) are formed in the private sector to handle complaints of workplace sexual harassment. The court emphasized that women should not be forced to quit their jobs due to harassment. The state and district legal services authorities were also tasked with helping victims file complaints.

Legal Authorities to assist victims

The court's directions came after it reviewed the implementation of the POSH Act, 2013, which was introduced to prevent and address sexual harassment at the workplace. A bench of Justices BV Nagarathna and N Kotiswar Singh noted that many states and Union Territories (UTs) have not yet formed ICs. They stressed that the government and private companies must ensure ICs are in place so women have a proper forum to lodge complaints.

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To further support women, the court highlighted the SHe-Box platform, an online portal for lodging complaints about sexual harassment. The portal offers a secure and easy way for women to file their complaints, regardless of whether they work in the public or private sector. 

The court also called on the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) to help women who experience harassment at work, ensuring they receive proper assistance in presenting their cases to ICs.