Centre sets deadline to address abuse at work

Hyderabad: Inquiry into cases of sexual harassment at the workplace will have to be completed within a month.

The Centre has directed all states, ministries and departments to take steps to ensure that the inquiries are conducted expeditiously and the aggrieved women are not subjected to victimisation.

Following complaints of inquiries taking a long time in such cases, the Centre has framed new guidelines under the Central Civil Services (Conduct) Rules, 1961.

All ministries and departments have been asked to furnish monthly reports giving details of number of complaints received, disposed of and action taken in the case.

A circular issued by the Centre's department of personnel and training, stated, “As far as practicable, the inquiry in such cases should be completed within one  month and in no case should it take more than 90 days as per the limit  prescribed under the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013.

It further stated, “It should be ensured that the aggrieved women are not victimised in connection  with the complaints filed by them. For a period of five years after a decision in a proven case of sexual harassment, a watch should be kept to ensure that she is not subjected to vendetta.”

“She should not be posted under the respondent, or any other person where there may be a reasonable ground to believe that she may be subjected to harassment on this account,” the order said.

Official sources said there are around 600 cases of abuse that are pending in Telangana state in various departments for over six months.

Ironically, in half of the 153 departments in Telangana state, the complaint cells are inactive and even in the existing half of them, the pendency is more. The disposal rate is less than 10 per cent within 90 days and less than 5 per cent within a month.

“The non-seriousness of government and officials in departments concerned for speedy resolution of these cases is the reason for long pendency. With the Centre’s latest instructions, we hope the cases to be expedited. The first and foremost task before the state government is to set up complaint cells in all departments and active the existing complaint cells which exist only on paper,” said Ms V. Sandhya, president, Prog-ressive Organisation for Women.