In accordance with the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013, the Institution had established its own help advisory group to address any such offense or complaints with strict corrective activities which will be in line with those issued in the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition And Redressal) Act, 2013 distributed in the Gazette of India, Extraordinary, PART II-Section 1 under the Legislative Department of Ministry of Law and Justice.

Objectives

• Assist ladies with realizing their rights of Freedom.
• Redressal of complaints filed
• Educate all employees of the institute about Sexual harassment at workplace, its effects and laws against it
• Creating awareness to employees on Filing a complaint with the ICC

What is Sexual Harassment?

“Sexual harassment” means-

1. An unwanted conduct with sexual undertones which is persistent and which demeans, humiliates or creates a hostile and intimidating environment or is calculated to induce submission by actual or threatened adverse consequences and includes any one or more or all of the following unwelcome acts or behaviour (whether directly or by implication), namely:—

   1. Any unwelcome physical, verbal or non-verbal conduct of sexual nature;
   2. Demand or request for sexual favours;
   3. Making sexually coloured remarks;
   4. Physical contact and advances; or
   5. Showing pornography; and

2. Any one (or more than one or all) of the following circumstances, if it occurs or is present in relation or connected with any behaviour that has explicit or implicit sexual undertones-

   • Implied or explicit promise of preferential treatment as quid pro quo for sexual favours;
   • Implied or explicit threat of detrimental treatment in the conduct of work;
   • Implied or explicit threat about the present or future status of the person concerned;
   • Creating an intimidating offensive or hostile learning environment;
   • Humiliating treatment likely to affect the health, safety dignity or physical integrity of the person concerned;

Every Technical Institution shall constitute an Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) with an inbuilt mechanism for gender sensitization against sexual harassment.

Responsibilities of Internal Complaints Committee (ICC)

The Internal Complaints Committee shall:

• Provide assistance if an employee or a student chooses to file a complaint with the police;
• Provide mechanisms of dispute redressal and dialogue to anticipate and address issues through just and fair conciliation without undermining complainant’s rights, and minimize the need for purely punitive approaches that lead to further resentment, alienation or violence;
• Protect the safety of the complainant by not divulging the person’s identity, and provide the mandatory relief by way of sanctioned leave or relaxation of attendance requirement or transfer to another department or supervisor as required during the pendency of the complaint, or also provide for the transfer of the offender;
• Ensure that victims or witnesses are not victimised or discriminated against while dealing with complaints of sexual harassment; and
• Ensure prohibition of retaliation or adverse action against a covered individual because the employee or the student is engaged in protected activity.

Process of making Complaint

1. An aggrieved person is required to submit a written complaint along with supporting documents and names and addresses of the witnesses if any to the ICC within three months from the date of the incident and in case of a series of incidents within a period of three months from the date of the last incident.
2. Friends, relatives, colleagues, co-students, psychologist or any other associate of the victim may file the compliant in situations where the aggrieved person is unable to make a complaint on account of physical or mental incapacity or death.

Punishment and compensation

1. Anyone found guilty of sexual harassment shall be punished in accordance with the service rules of the TI, if the offender is an employee. Depending upon the severity of the offence, the punishments may include anyone or more such as a written apology, warning, reprimand, censure, undergoing counselling or carrying out community service, withholding of promotion, withholding of pay rise or increments and terminating the respondent from service.
2. Where the respondent is a student, depending upon the severity of the offence, the TI may,-
   • Withhold privileges of the student such as access to the library, auditoria, halls of residence, transportation, scholarships, allowances, and identity card;
   • Suspend or restrict entry into the campus for a specific period;
   • Expel and strike off name from the rolls of the institution, including denial of readmission, if the offence so warrants;
   • Award reformative punishments like mandatory counselling and, or, performance of community services.
3. The aggrieved person is entitled to the payment of compensation. The TI shall issue direction for payment of the compensation recommended by the ICC and accepted by the Executive Authority, which shall be recovered from the offender. The compensation payable shall be determined on the basis of-
   • Mental trauma, pain, suffering and distress caused to the aggrieved person;
   • The loss of career opportunity due to the incident of sexual harassment;
   • The medical expenses incurred by the victim for physical, psychiatric treatment;
   • The income and status of the alleged perpetrator and victim; and
   • The feasibility of such payment in lump sum or in instalments.