Internal Complaints Committees: How They Function Explained

Speedy Summary:

• An Odisha college student in Balasore attempted self-immolation, alleging her sexual harassment complaint against her department head was disregarded by the Internal Complaints Committee (ICC).
• The victim’s family accused ICC members of inadequate training and alleged bias favoring the accused.
• ICCs were mandated under the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 (POSH Act), following earlier Vishaka Guidelines.
• These committees are tasked to investigate complaints confidentially, complete inquiries within 90 days, and recommend actions against offenders.
• Despite legal mandates, enforcement of ICC functioning remains patchy with serious implementation lapses highlighted by experts.
• The Supreme Court raised concerns in December 2024 over poor compliance with the POSH Act and directed government departments to ensure immediate adherence.

Indian Opinion Analysis:

The tragic case in Odisha underscores critical gaps in implementing workplace sexual harassment laws despite their formal establishment. While legislation such as the POSH Act provides a robust framework for redressal mechanisms like iccs, systemic shortcomings-insufficient training of members, oversight failures by district officials or ministries involved-appear to dilute its effectiveness. This incident stresses accountability issues across institutions purported to protect vulnerable groups. strengthening training initiatives for ICC members might help address biases or procedural lapses cited here. more broadly, improved coordination among agencies monitoring law compliance could mitigate these black holes identified across workplaces. For India striving toward gender-equitable spaces amid rapid institutional expansion,this case reaffirms urgent reforms needed at both systemic and grassroots levels.

Read more: The Hindu Article