Supreme Court seeks states' response over sexual harassment
This has resulted in breach of fundamental rights of women and their dignity.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday sought the response of all the States and Union Territories on a PIL seeking effective implementation of the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act and the Rules framed under this Act.
A three-judge Bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices A.M. Kanwilkar and D.Y. Chandrachud issued notice to the States seeking reply in four weeks on the petition filed by Initiatives for Inclusion Foundation and Ms. Pallavi Pareek seeking court’s intervention.
The petitioner said though the law was enacted in 2013, to provide for creation of redressal mechanism to deal with cases of sexual harassment of women in workplaces, the States/UTs are reluctant in implementing it, even after four years. This has resulted in breach of fundamental rights of women and their dignity. It is the duty of the States to implement the law and the delay, which has taken place, is not only in violation of the law/Constitution but also of the apex court directions in Visakha case.