POSH compliance in public sector banks: CIC remands RTI appeal for ‘fair hearing’

The Central Information Commission (CIC) has remanded an RTI appeal to the Ministry of Women and Child Development for fresh adjudication, directing its first appellate authority to provide a fair hearing to the applicant seeking information on the implementation of the law against workplace sexual harassment in public sector banks.

The applicant, Chayan Ghosh Chowdhury, cited the Supreme Court's decision in Aureliano Fernandes vs State of Goa case and claimed that banks had failed to constitute Internal Committees as required under the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013.

He sought details of banks registered on the SHe-Box portal, annual returns submitted under the law, penalties imposed for non-compliance and court cases involving aggrieved women.

SHe-Box is the central government's online platform for registering and tracking complaints of sexual harassment at the workplace.