Women lawyers appeals SC to set up complaint committees
Women lawyers appeals SC to set up complaint committees
Woman lawyers want Vishakha norms in Apex Court across India to examine incidents of sexual harassment of female advocates within court complexes.
The bench was hearing a male advocate’s plea against his conviction for slapping a woman lawyer in Delhi high court.
Malhotra said harassment of women lawyers was a serious issue and that the guidelines framed in 1997 to protect the fair sex at workplace should be implemented even in courts. Malhotra’s plea assumes significance as the Supreme Court guidelines are compulsory for every government of private office but not for self-employed professionals whose set-up would not qualify to be an organisation.
The court agreed to hear the plea and asked Malhotra to file an affidavit in this regard.
Holding that each incident of sexual harassment at workplace was violation of fundamental right, SC had on August 13, 1997 made it compulsory for every office to set up committees to look into such complaints.
