Internal Complaint Committee

The Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) at Shaheed Rajguru college of Applied Sciences for Women is envisaged to receive complaints on sexual harassment at the workplace from an aggrieved woman, as well as to inquire into and make recommendations to the employer on the action required pursuant to its inquiry of such complaint made.

The sexual harassment of women at workplace (prevention, prohibition and redressal) act 2013 is an act to provide protection against sexual harassment of women at work place. Sexual harassment results in the violation of basic fundamental rights of women such as Right to equality under article 14,15 and her right to life and live with dignity under article 21 of the constitution of India.

Definition of Sexual Harassment

Sexual Harassment includes any one or more of the following unwelcome acts or behaviour.

  • Physical contact and advances.
  • A demand or request for sexual favours.
  • Making sexually coloured remarks.
  • Showing pornography.
  • Any unwelcome messages through telephone or internet.

Constitution

  • Presiding Officer, Prof. Ranjana Singh, Professor, Department of Food Technology, Shaheed Rajguru College of Applied Sciences for Women
  • Two faculty members Dr. Deepa Joshi, Associate Professor, Department of Food Technology and Dr. Rekha Mehrotra, Associate Professor, Department of Botany, Shaheed Rajguru College of Applied Sciences for Women.
  • Two non-teaching employees: Mr. Chaman Giri, Assistant (Accounts) and Ms. Akanksha Dhingra, Technical Assistant, Shaheed Rajguru College of Applied Sciences for Women.
  • One member from amongst non-government organizations or associations: Ms. Niyati Sharma, Advocate.

Function

The Internal Complaints Committee has two major functions

  • Preventive
  • Remedial Preventive
    1. • To work towards creating an atmosphere promoting equality, non-discrimination and gender sensitivity.
    2. • To promote and facilitate measures to create a work environment that is free of sexual harassment.
    3. • To receive and take cognizance of complaints made about sexual harassment at the university and give every complaint serious consideration.
    4. • Crisis Management, Mediation and Counselling
    5. • To conduct enquiries into the complaints, place findings and recommendations regarding penalties against the harasser.

Procedure to file a complaint

  • Any aggrieved women may make, in writing, a complaint of sexual harassment at workplace to the Internal Complaint Committee if so constituted, or the Local Committee, in case it is not so constituted, within a period of three months from the date of incident and in case of a series of incidents, within a period of three months from the date of last incident:
    1. • Provided that where such complaint cannot be made in writing or, as the case may be, the Presiding Officer or any member of the Internal Complaint Committee or the Chairperson or any member of the Local Committee, as the case may be shall render all reasonable assistance to the women for making a complaint within the said period.
  • Where the aggrieved woman is unable to make a complaint on account of her physical or mental incapacity or death or otherwise, her legal heir or such other person as may be prescribed may make a complaint under this section.
  • The ICC may before initiating an inquiry under section 4 and at the request of the aggrieved woman take steps to settle the matter between her and the respondent through conciliation:
    1. i) Provided that no monetary settlement shall be made on the basis of conciliation.
    2. ii) Where a settlement has been arrived at under sub section (i) the ICC shall record the settlement so arrived and forward the same to the employer to take actionas specified in the recommendation.
    3. iii) The ICC shall provide the copies of the settlement as recorded under sub section (ii) to the aggrieved woman and the respondent.
    4. iv) Where a settlement is arrived at under sub section (i), no further inquiry shall be conducted by the ICC.
  • Subject to the provisions of section 10, the ICC shall, where the respondent is an employee, proceed to make inquiry into the complaint in accordance with the provisions of the service rules applicable to the respondent and where no such rules exist, forward the complaint to the police, with in a period of seven days for registering the case under section 509 of the Indian Penal Code, and any other relevant provisions of the said code where applicable:
    1. • Provided that where the aggrieved woman informs the ICC that any term or condition of the settlement at under sub section (ii) of section 3 has not been complied by the respondent, the ICC shall proceed to make an inquiry into the complaint and forward the complaint to the police.
    2. • Provided further that where both the parties are employees, the parties shall, during the course of inquiry, be given an opportunity of being heard and a copy of the findings shall be made available to both the parties enabling them to make representation against the findings before the committee.
    3. • For the purpose of making an inquiry under sub-section(i), the ICC shall have the same powers as are vested in a civil court under the code of civil procedures, 1908, when trying a suit in respect of the following members namely –
      a) Summoning and enforcing the attendance of any person and examining him on oath.
      b) Requiring the discovery and production of documents
      c) Any other matter may be prescribed
    4. • The inquiry under sub section (i) shall be completed within a period of ninety days.