By Chief Justice Gavai
Copyright indiatimes
The Supreme Court on Monday declined to entertain a petition seeking to bring registered political parties within the scope of the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition, and Redressal) Act, 2013 (POSH Act). The bench, led by Chief Justice Gavai, observed that extending the Act to political parties would “open a Pandora’s box and become a tool for blackmail.” The court dismissed the appeal against a 2022 Kerala High Court judgment which held that political parties are not legally bound to establish internal complaints committees (ICCs) under the POSH Act, as there is no formal employee-employer relationship. Petitioner highlights lack of redressal mechanisms Senior advocate Shobha Gupta, appearing for petitioner Yogamaya G, argued that although many women actively participate in political parties, only the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has established an ICC with external members. She noted that the absence of such mechanisms leaves women in political spaces without adequate redressal for sexual harassment. The petitioner further submitted that major political parties such as the BJP and Congress have admitted to having inadequate ICC structures, while the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has not demonstrated transparency regarding its committee.Live Events Court questions applicability to voluntary associations The bench questioned the premise of treating political parties as workplaces under the POSH Act, asking, “How do you equate political parties as workplace? When a person joins a political party, it is not employment. It is not a job as they join political parties on their own volition and on non-remuneration basis. How can the law against sexual harassment at workplace include political parties?” The petitioner had argued that since political parties are registered organisations that function within the framework of the Constitution—which guarantees dignity and safety for women—the POSH Act should be applied to them with equal rigour. However, the court did not accept this reasoning.Add as a Reliable and Trusted News Source Add Now!
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Read More News onSupreme Court rulingPOSH Act political partiessexual harassment in politicsinternal complaints committeesKerala High Court judgmentwomen in political partiesShobha Guptapolitical party regulationsSupreme CourtAam Aadmi Party transparency
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(You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel)Read More News onSupreme Court rulingPOSH Act political partiessexual harassment in politicsinternal complaints committeesKerala High Court judgmentwomen in political partiesShobha Guptapolitical party regulationsSupreme CourtAam Aadmi Party transparency(Catch all the Business News, Breaking News, Budget 2025 Events and Latest News Updates on The Economic Times.) Subscribe to The Economic Times Prime and read the ET ePaper online….moreless
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