She also called for faster case processing under the POSH Act (Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace – Prevention, Prohibition, and Redressal Act, 2013). The Act mandates most companies in India to implement strict measures against workplace sexual harassment.
NEW DELHI: Delhi High Court judge, Justice Prathiba M Singh, has stressed the need for stronger legal provisions to protect not just women but also men and other genders from sexual harassment.
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In an exclusive interview with media, she highlighted that the law currently only addresses the harassment of women and emphasized the importance of broadening its scope.
Justice Singh pointed out that many cases take an excessively long time—often 10 to 15 years—to reach a decision, causing significant problems for all parties involved.
“The law only has provisions for sexual harassment of women,” she stated, adding that the future should see legal changes that also include men and other genders.
She also called for faster case processing under the POSH Act (Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace – Prevention, Prohibition, and Redressal Act, 2013). The Act mandates most companies in India to implement strict measures against workplace sexual harassment.
“Women are given a lot of respect in this country… Most organisations and companies have set up ICCs, but I feel two changes should be done. A small change can be to ensure cases are decided fast,”
she said, referring to Internal Complaints Committees (ICCs) that handle workplace harassment cases.
Justice Singh suggested that ICCs should have fewer members to make the process more efficient.
“Once ICC is made, there are some five-seven people in the committee, some are from NGOs, all of whom have different timings. So it is difficult to call meetings frequently. We need to dilute the number of members in ICC,”
she explained.
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She further recommended a two-step filtering process for handling complaints.
“There should be two layers of filters to check any complaint. If in the company level nothing is found, then the matter can be closed then and there, but send it to a higher level if something is found,” she said.
Justice Singh also acknowledged the lengthy inquiry process as a major issue.
“Sometimes inquiries go on for 10-15 years, which creates problems for the woman and the man concerned,” she noted.
A significant point Justice Singh raised was the need for gender-neutral sexual harassment laws.
“One thing I want to say for the future is that sexual harassment dealt by the POSH Act is focused only on women. But there is a need to focus it also on men and different genders,” she said.
She also stressed the importance of workplace training to prevent avoidable conflicts.
“It is my experience that many times we see on both sides this is a completely avoidable situation if there is training for the people,” she added.
Justice Singh’s Background
Before her appointment as a judge, Justice Prathiba M Singh was a leading intellectual property lawyer. She handled landmark cases related to patents, trademarks, copyrights, designs, plant varieties, and internet laws.
In 2022, she achieved a historic milestone by becoming the first Indian judge to be elected Honorary Fellow of Hughes Hall, University of Cambridge.
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