Karnataka Legislature Secretariat to make changes to ‘sexist’ circular

Bengaluru: The Karnataka Legislature Secretariat has altered its recent circular warning women employees against loitering in the corridors of Vidhana Soudha and speaking loudly on mobile phones following a public outcry.

The circular, issued by Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms (DPAR) on May 21, had kicked up a row on the ground that it targeted only women employees. “I came to know that women employees are not happy with the circular sent by our secretariat as it targeted women only. In view of this, I have instructed the officials concerned to remove the offending sentence and issue a fresh circular stating that no employee, man or woman, is supposed to loiter in the corridors of Vidhana Soudha and talk loudly on mobile phones”, Legislative Assembly Speaker Kagodu Thimmappa told Deccan Chronicle.

He said the circular became necessary because of the noise in the corridors of Vidhana Soudha which was affecting employee performance. It was not aimed at women employees alone but other employees too. Since women employees had objected to the circular, a fresh circular would be issued by DPAR removing the ‘objectionable’ sentence from the earlier order but covering all employees.

Recently, the Karnataka State Secretariat employees received a circular from DPAR asking them not to waste their office hours by talking on mobile phones or walking in the corridors. The employees were upset since the circular had stated that women were found loitering in the corridors or speaking loudly on mobile phones. This ‘sexist circular’ had upset many women employees.