It is compulsory as mandated by the Supreme Court for Indian companies to have an internal complaints committee on sexual harassment (popularly referred to as the Vishaka Committee). Despite this, the corporate affairs ministry is reluctant to press companies to reveal whether they are in compliance with the order and whether these committees have been constituted or not.
Maneka Gandhi, who heads the woman and child development ministry, had appealed to Arun Jaitley that a disclosure be made mandatory. However, Jaitley’s ministry reportedly responded that industry representatives were against “enhanced disclosures under the Companies Act, 2013 and that these may not be “desirable”. That sexual harassment in the workplace is common is a given.
It only takes a brief skimming of newspaper headlines in the last couple of years to understand that victims of this, mostly women, are finally finding the courage to report these misdemeanours. The setting up of a properly constituted internal committee not only allows the victims to seek justice for the crimes against them, it also goes some way in acting as a deterrent.
With no internal mechanisms, victims are left with only the more tedious option of directly filing a police complaint. In a society which still continues to blame victims, filing a police complaint against an amorous superior is both a matter of societal shame and tantamount to professional suicide.
Disclosing compliance is not a big ask. Companies are anyway required to disclose compliance on various matters. If the corporate affairs ministry really had the best interests of India Inc in mind, it would amend the Companies Act and make it mandatory under the law.
Deputy Editor