Kamrup (Metro) orders mandatory POSH panels in all private establishments

STAFF REPORTER

Guwahati: In a major administrative push to reinforce workplace safety and accountability, the Kamrup (Metro) District Administration has issued a public notice directing all private establishments with ten or more employees to immediately constitute an Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) under the Prevention of Sexual Harassment (POSH) Act, 2013.

The directive—issued in line with a Supreme Court order dated October 22, 2024—aims to ensure that all organisations in Guwahati have a formal mechanism to prevent and address sexual harassment at the workplace. The order covers a wide range of establishments, including shops, commercial units, hotels, restaurants, factories, educational institutions, hospitals, NGOs and other private organizations meeting the minimum employee thresholds.

As per the notice, every eligible workplace must form an ICC comprising (i) a senior woman employee as the presiding officer, (ii) at least two internal members with experience in social work or legal expertise, (iii) one external member from an NGO or association working on women’s rights or sexual harassment issues, and (iv) additionally, the directive mandates that at least 50% of the ICC members must be women, and the external member must not belong to the organisation.

The administration has laid out several compulsory steps for establishments: (i) Display ICC details prominently at the workplace, (ii) register the ICC on the She-Box portal, and (iii) submit a compliance report with ICC details and the contact information of the organization’s nodal officer to the Assistant Labour Commissioner, Kamrup (Metro), by November 30, 2025.

The notice warns that failure to adhere to these requirements will be treated as a serious violation of the POSH Act, attracting penalties of up to Rs 50,000.

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