Blitz Bureau
THE Supreme Court on December 9 disposed of a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking the inclusion of political parties under the anti-sexual harassment law. “Why don’t the petitioner approach the Election Commission of India? The competent authority will be the Election Commission. Give them some reasonable time to think over it.
If nothing happens, our doors are always open,” a Bench headed by Justice Surya Kant said. The Bench, also comprising Justice Manmohan, said that the Election Commission will be the competent authority to prevail upon recognised political parties to create an in-house mechanism to deal with complaints of sexual harassment in accordance with the provisions of the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 (PoSH Act).
“The writ petition is disposed of at this stage with liberty to approach the competent authority. In case, the petitioner’s grievance is not effectively addressed, she shall be at liberty to approach the judicial forum in accordance with the law,” ordered the Apex court.
Apart from the Union Government, the PIL impleaded the Congress, the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Communist Party of India-Marxist, the Communist Party of India, the Trinamool Congress, the Nationalist Congress Party, the National People’s Party, the Bahujan Samaj Party, and the Aam Aadmi Party, in the memo of parties. The plea sought a declaration that political parties are bound to follow the procedure for the protection of women in the workplace under the anti-sexual harassment law.
