E-platform for harass protest

Maneka Gandhi in Delhi on Wednesday. (PTI)

Ananya Sengupta, TT, New Delhi, Oct. 26: Maneka Gandhi today said her ministry would set up an online platform where any central government woman employee could directly file complaints of sexual harassment, effectively limiting the role of internal committees in handling such cases. 
The directly filed complaints would later be taken up with the ministries concerned for a "monitorable and transparent system" of redress, the women and child development (WCD) minister was quoted as saying.

The decision came at a meeting to review how the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013, was being implemented.

Sources said Maneka not only came down hard on some ministries for delaying probes into harassment cases, but also said she would watch them closely.

Maneka, the sources said, also asked the heads of internal complaints committees to explain why they had not addressed complaints.

Today's meeting came a few days after Maneka had tweeted that she would personally review the handling of such complaints. The tweet had followed complaints from several women to Maneka's ministry that their complaints were not being resolved.

"I am concerned that the complaints of sexual harassment are not being handled in a timely as well as sensitive manner," Maneka is believed to have told the meeting, adding that the harassment often continued over a period of time.

"It is only after it becomes unbearable that a woman comes out to complain," she said.

Government sources said some of those against whom complaints were pending with the internal committees were senior officers. In one case, a joint secretary-level officer in the railway ministry had filed a complaint. When a query was sent to the complaints committee asking why it had not taken any action, they had told the WCD ministry no complaint had been filed although Maneka's ministry had a copy of the complaint.

"Some of these cases have been pending for two years. Absolutely no action has been taken so far. This cannot go on," said an official in the WCD ministry.

Maneka said it was the duty of the internal complaints committee to decide on a complaint in the "shortest" possible time.

Besides the e-platform, Maneka suggested setting up an inter-ministerial committee. This committee would look into how complaints were being disposed of.

"This will enable a monitorable and transparent system of grievance redress under the act," the sources quoted her as saying.

It was also decided that all ministries and departments would submit a monthly report to the WCD ministry on the number of complaints received, the action taken and pending cases.

Maneka said the external member on the internal complaints committees would be chosen from a panel of persons handpicked by the proposed inter-ministerial committee to ensure that there is no conflict of interest.

The meeting also decided that the respective cadre-controlling authority of complainants would keep them under observation for five years so that they are not subjected to administrative harassment for daring to complain against a superior.