Committee should be formed in ministries and government departments

Justice AS Bopanna and Justice Hima Kohli’s bench said that improperly constituted Sexual Harassment Committee will be a hindrance to investigate at the workplace. The Supreme Court said that it would be pointless to have an improperly constituted committee conduct a half-baked inquiry, which could have serious consequences like imposing heavy penalties on the employee concerned. The court said that the Union of India, all State Governments and Union Territories are directed to undertake a time-bound exercise to verify that all concerned Ministries, Departments, Government Organizations, Authorities, Public Sector Undertakings, Institutions, Bodies etc. Committees may be constituted and the composition of the said committees should be strictly in accordance with the provisions of the POSH Act.