Latest news with #InternalComplaintsCommittee
New Indian Express
2 days ago
- New Indian Express
New twist in honey trap case as Kochi police book IT firm chief executive officer
KOCHI: In a new twist to the honey trap and extortion case involving a Kochi-based IT firm, the Kochi city police have booked the company owner based on a complaint by the woman accused in the case. The Infopark police have registered a case against Litmus7 CEO Venu Gopalakrishnan under various charges, including outraging the modesty of a woman and issuing threats. 'We registered the case after receiving a formal complaint from the woman. In her statement, she alleged that apart from Venu, three other persons from the company also threatened her,' said a source with Kochi city police, adding that a detailed investigation is underway. Advocate Kalyanakrishnan, counsel for the couple accused in honey trap case, said, 'This is not a counter-case. The IT firm owner, anticipating a sexual harassment case against him, lodged a complaint first in an attempt to evade the legal consequences.' The woman, who worked as personal assistant to Venu, resigned from the company after her marriage. Venugopal allegedly troubled her with a sexual intent. The honey trap allegation was a retaliatory move after she informed Venu of her intention to file a complaint under the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 (POSH Act) against him with the Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) at the workplace, said the advocate. 'The Ernakulam magistrate court granted bail after taking into account the arguments and concerns raised by us. Moreover, the bail was approved with standard conditions, including prior notice for appearances before the investigating team,'said Kalyanakrishnan. He also pointed out that the case filed against the couple appears to have been influenced by some top police official, and which has been mentioned in the bail application. The woman and her husband, both natives of Chavakkad in Thrissur, were arrested by the Ernakulam central police on July 29 based on a complaint by Venu, who accused the couple of extorting money by threatening to spread defamatory allegations and falsely implicate him in a sexual assault case. Police had also confirmed the seizure of cheque leaves valued at around `20 crore, along with related agreements, from the couple's possession.
Hans India
31-07-2025
- Hans India
Public cautioned against blind trust
Krishna University (Machilipatnam): State Women's Commission chairperson Rayapati Sailaja on Wednesday cautioned the public against blind trust, revealing that cases of betrayal by those who were deeply trusted are increasingly coming to her attention. She made these remarks while participating as the chief guest at a workshop organised by Krishna University's Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) on World Day against Human Trafficking. Sailaja highlighted how some individuals are using social media to trap women and young girls, urging heightened vigilance in such online interactions. She also expressed concern that men are not immune to trafficking, noting a desperate situation where people are resorting to extreme measures for organ harvesting. The chairperson stressed the importance of immediately reporting any issues concerning women and young girls to the relevant authorities. Krishna University Vice-Chancellor Prof K Ramji spoke about human trafficking evolving into a major global issue. He called upon the youth to come forward and raise awareness among people at the village level. District Additional Superintendent of Police VV Naidu stated that the trafficking of minor girls is on the rise, exploiting their innocence. He believes that changes within the education system could help curb this trend. Suez, organiser of Maarpu Trust, shared a troubling statistic: complaints indicate that the majority of missing women are from tribal areas, and approximately 40 percent of them remain untraceable. The event, presided over by Registrar Prof N Usha, also saw remarks from Rector Prof MV Basaveswara Rao. Assistant Professors Dr M Sravani, Dr Sujata, Dr Sushila, officials from the Women and Child Welfare Department, staff, and a large number of students participated.
The Hindu
26-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
How do internal complaints committees work?
The story so far: A young student's self-immolation at a college in Balasore, Odisha has put the spotlight on the Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) which failed to validate her complaints of sexual harassment against her head of the department. The victim's family has claimed the members of the ICC were not trained adequately and that the environment in the college and within the ICC was biased in favour of the accused. What is the law behind the ICC? The Supreme Court first called for complaint committees to be set up in its 1997 judgment in response to a petition filed after Bhanwari Devi, a social worker in Rajasthan, was gang-raped when she tried to stop a child marriage. The Court provided basic definitions of sexual harassment in the workplace, and guidelines to combat it. Known as the Vishaka Guidelines, they called for an appropriate mechanism to be created by employers to ensure time bound treatment of complaints of sexual harassment. It said that the Complaints Committee should be headed by a woman, and include women as at least half its members, as well as a third party to prevent undue pressure from senior levels within the organisation. It was not until the Nirbhaya killing in Delhi in December 2012 that the provisions were actually written into law. One of the several legislations that were enacted was The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013, often called the POSH Act, which superceded the Vishaka Guidelines. It mandated the constitution of ICCs at all workplaces which employed more than 10 people. Women working in smaller enterprises in the informal sector could complain to Local Committees to be set up by district authorities. What are the powers of an ICC? Each ICC is to be headed by a Presiding Officer, who is to be a woman employed at a senior level at the workplace. At least two members should be employees preferably committed to the cause of women or who have had experience in social work or have legal knowledge, and another member should be from an NGO devoted to women's rights or a person familiar with sexual harassment issues. At least half of the members should be women. Any aggrieved woman can complain in writing to the ICC or local committee within three months of the date of the harassment incident or series of incidents. The committee can help to settle the matter at the request of the woman or begin an inquiry into the complaint. The ICC has the same powers as are vested in a civil court under the Code of Civil Procedure. The inquiry is to be completed within 90 days. If the complaint is proved, the ICC must recommend the action to be taken against the accused. The employer is also required to aid the victim if she wishes to file a criminal complaint. The law mandates confidentiality regarding the contents of the complaint, the identity and addresses of the aggrieved woman, the respondent and witnesses, any information relating to conciliation and inquiry proceedings, and the recommendations of the ICC. What is the status of their implementation? In the decade since the law was passed, though ICCs have been set up in some institutions, their coverage is far from universal. In December 2024, the Supreme Court took stock of the 'sorry state of affairs', pointing out that it was 'disquieting' to note 'serious lapses' in the enforcement of the POSH Act. It directed immediate compliance within the government, and a survey of public and private organisations as well. 'This law was designed to be monitored, but who is doing it? District officers are supposed to collect annual reports on compliance and sexual harassment cases from the Local Committees and ICCs, but what is done with that material?' asks Madhu Mehra, a lawyer advocating for women's rights, and the founder of Partners for Law in Development. Ms. Mehra points out that while the Women and Child Development Ministry is the line Ministry for the POSH Act, it is the Labour Ministry and Industries Ministry that deal with workplaces and employers. 'Accountability is falling between the cracks. Where is the evidence-based analysis on how this law is functioning? It's a black hole.' She says the Balasore case shows that even where ICCs are in place, they are merely a 'dead letter' if there is insufficient training for members, if the power imbalance in a workplace is not addressed, and if there is no confidentiality being maintained. (Those in distress or having suicidal thoughts are encouraged to seek help and counselling by calling the helpline numbers here)
The Hindu
25-07-2025
- The Hindu
Student suicide highlights ICC failures in HEIs; a case for campus safety in NIRF rankings
The father of a 20-year-old student of Odisha who recently committed suicide held members of her college's Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) 'solely responsible' for his daughter's death by self-immolation. He alleged that the ICC members prepared a 'biased report' and blamed the student following her complaint of sexual harassment by a professor. He claimed that based on the ICC report, the principal told his daughter that she was at fault and may be punished for making a false allegation against the teacher who is the head of the Education department. The second-year Integrated student of Fakir Mohan (Autonomous) College in Balasore immolated herself shortly after coming out of the Principal's chamber. 'I hope the system will improve following the death of my daughter,' he said. Though the ICC is mandated by the University Grants Commission, in many of the institutions they are barely functional. Many students and activists make a case that social aspects such as student safety should be an important parameter for ranking HEIs so there is some pressure on the governing bodies and managements to act. The National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF)'s current methodology makes it mandatory for the Universities to have a functional ICC, but this doesn't influence the rankings. 'The ICC should be an integral part of these ranking systems. It should matter a lot how the oppressed – including women – are treated in our educational institutions. Do they feel safe? Do they have equal opportunities?' questioned Geeta Kumari, former JNU Students Union president and a Gender Sensitisation Committee Against Sexual Harassment (GSCASH) student representative. GSCASH, a body established to address sexual grievances, was replaced with ICC on the campus in 2017. Ms. Kumari served in GSCASH from 2015 to 2017. Among the various parameters of the annual ranking system, Teaching, Learning and Resources, Research and Professional Practices, Graduation Outcome, and Peer Perception play a critical role but student safety aspects such as a functional ICC are often not taken into consideration. In a quick and random survey, three highly ranked HEIs had several lacunae in ICC functioning — with many students unaware of the very existence of these committees meant to safeguard their dignity. A skewed system The Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), which ranked second in the University rankings of NIRF, replaced the Gender Sensitisation Committee Against Sexual Harassment (GSCASH) with the Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) in 2017, but students attest that the change doesn't make much difference on the ground and the campus remains unsafe for students. 'The university administration disbanded the GSCASH and constituted the ICC, citing the UGC's standardization policy. But the move actually came in the wake of multiple sexual harassment allegations against faculty members that year,' said Parvathy P, a PhD scholar at the Centre for Law and Governance, JNU. She mentioned that the current structure of the ICC is biased against the students. 'The current ICC has nine members—six nominated by the administration and three student representatives elected through campus polls. Despite this, the structure remains skewed in favour of the university management, which continues to hold significant control over all decision-making,' said Ms. Parvathy. Recalling a recent case, Ms. Parvathy said, 'A UG student faced sexual harassment in 2024, but the administration failed to follow a transparent process to ensure justice. When she staged a sit-in protest at the university gate, demanding action, the administration imposed a fine on her instead of acting against the perpetrators. She was ultimately forced to pay the fine to continue her studies.' 'ICC is filled with people who do not understand gender and its complexities. The first chairperson of ICC made comments such as 'umar ho gayi shaadi bache karo' to female students when they were protesting,' Ms. Kumari said. Banaras Hindu University (BHU) at Varanasi that is ranked fifth in the University rankings of NIRF has an ICC. 'We are completely unaware of such a body in the campus. Even the official BHU website does not list ICC members,' said a BHU research scholar on condition of anonymity. IIT-BHU, which had a noted sexual harassment case in Nov 1, 2023 , has no elected student representative in its ICC. The Uttar Pradesh police arrested the three accused on December 31. The research scholar said there is no security verification at the gates of BHU, and anyone from the public can enter freely. 'The three accused in the case were reportedly involved in other incidents of molestation on campus. It shows that little has changed on the ground. What has now become routine is that each time a sexual harassment case surfaces, there's an immediate wave of student protests. But within days, the outrage fades, and the administration carries on as if nothing happened,' he said. 'Dissatisfied with functioning' Mehina Fathima Shihab, student member of the ICC, Delhi University, main campus, which ranked ninth in the NIRF ranking, revealed that she isn't happy with the committee's functioning. 'The constitution of the committee itself is a problem, as ICCs are mostly nominated bodies with little or no autonomy. The committee is not fully elected by the stakeholders of the university, and its nominated members often show a loyalty towards the institution rather than upholding the rights of the student community,' she said, reiterating that the ICCs of all of the DU campuses have room for improvement. The body often faces internal criticism from the elected student members over decisions taken by the committee. 'There are fundamental conflicts between elected members and nominated members, as elected student representatives want to make sure that the campus is safer for everyone. Since not all the nominated members are democratic, conflicts take place whenever we meet. The demand for GSCASH is still very relevant as it can function much better than the ICC,' said Ms. Shihab. GSCASH was an independent body proctor with no interference from the college administration, whereas ICC has become an administrative tool, where confidentiality is compromised, she says. Ms. Shihab also disagreed with the NIRF ranking scores as its structure does not fully assess the safety and security of students within the campus premises. 'The NIRF ranking scales are faulty when it comes to assessing the social aspects of an institution. The Delhi University campus is very unsafe for women. Sexual harassment cases are being reported on a monthly basis. The UGC regulation, which constituted ICC, clearly mentions the list of responsibilities of institutions in making their campus safer for women, and most of them are ignored, including basic measures like ensuring campus spaces are well-lit,' she said. But the University's faculty members say that the DU's Miranda House has an effective ICC. 'I will not claim that all of our students know about the ICC but it has increased awareness,' said Abha Dev Habib, Associate Professor, Miranda House, Delhi University. While the functioning of the ICCs differs from college to college affiliated to the University, Miranda House is on the right track, Abha Dev Habib said. 'Our ICC has three student members. We ask every class of students to give representation and these representatives come together to elect the members. We have been receiving a lot of sexual harassment complaints and a strong ICC is something we do not compromise,' Ms. Habib said. Better implementation 'Many universities conduct superficial inquiries simply to silence the survivor. Instead of ensuring justice, some ICC members indulge in character assassination, prioritising the university's reputation over the victim's rights. In such cases, the ICC becomes a mere puppet of the administration. Its fundamental duties are often diluted or ignored altogether,' Abdul Wahab, State Secretary of SFI, Uttar Pradesh said. He also alleged that universities don't care to conduct elections to select student members into the ICC and often function with nominated faculty members. 'According to UGC norms, ICCs must include elected student members, faculty, and external representatives from NGOs or activists working in the field. But in reality, most universities either handpick members or fail to maintain a functional ICC. How can an entirely nominated body function impartially?' he asked. The ICCs are not supposed to function as a punitive body, but rather as a body that ensures sexual harassment does not happen within campus premises. 'Gender sensitization workshops take place once every two years. There is no consistency, and its reach is quite limited. NIRF rankings often overlook the functionality and a mere presence is enough to secure a good rank,' Ms. Shihab said. Attempts were made to reach out to the managements of Sharda University, JNU and BHU and IIT-BHU via phone calls and email. There has been no response. (Those in distress or having suicidal thoughts are encouraged to seek help and counselling by calling the helpline numbers here)
NDTV
25-07-2025
- Health
- NDTV
After Odisha Student's Self-Immolation, The Pretence Of 'Action'
The tragic self-immolation and death of a student at FM College in Odisha, following alleged abuse by a faculty member, has sent shockwaves across the state. The student, who died by suicide after multiple pleas to authorities and a sham hearing by the Internal Complaints Committee, has starkly exposed the inadequate, or mostly absent, student support systems in higher education institutions. In response, the Odisha government has launched the "Shaktishree" initiative, aimed at "transforming women's safety in higher education institutions." However, such knee-jerk solutions, which aim at the optics of action rather than meaningful change, must be replaced by robust and comprehensive student support frameworks. Is "Shaktishree" Enough? Under the Shaktishree initiative, Empowerment Cells are to be established in nearly 730 colleges under 16 state universities. Each cell is expected to include a trained female student and a woman faculty member. Other features include a mobile app for accessing services, round-the-clock CCTV surveillance, self-defence training, and the appointment of five accomplished women in each district to mentor female students. The programme bears resemblance to IIT Kharagpur's "Campus Mothers" scheme. Both sound promising, but in their gendered stereotyping, they dilute the focus from the need to create a professional mental health infrastructure. The College Campus Mental health concerns among college students are rising rapidly. According to the World Mental Health Survey conducted across 21 countries in 2016, one in five college students met the criteria for a psychiatric disorder. Indian studies show comparable numbers. Severe mental illnesses often begin during late adolescence and early adulthood, the characteristic neurodevelopment phase, which is the precise age group that populates our college campuses. In Odisha, student suicides (across schools and colleges) rose by more than 50% between 2021 and 2023, with 189 cases reported in 2023 alone. Fortunately, mental health interventions in higher education have shown encouraging outcomes in college students. Evidence-based programmes, such as mindfulness training, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), and technology-driven interventions, have been effective in reducing mental health difficulties among college students. Yet, despite guidelines issued by the UGC and AICTE in 2023, most colleges in Odisha still do not have a single professional counsellor on their rolls. The Shaktishree initiative does include a telehealth feature that connects students to Tele-MANAS, a national mental health helpline by NIMHANS. As of May 2024, Tele-MANAS had handled over one million calls, averaging 3,500 per day, through 51 cells across India. Odisha alone accounted for about 20,000 calls between 2021 and 2023, predominantly from young callers. While promising, helplines cannot replace embedded, on-campus mental health support. The crisis extends to private institutions as well. Just last week, a leading private university in Bhubaneswar, KIIT, was publicly reprimanded by the UGC after the suicide of a foreign student. The regulatory body issued a show-cause notice, raising serious concerns about the university's mental health support systems, safety protocols, and its administrative handling, accusing it of "illegal compromise in harassment complaints". A Model Worth Emulating Kerala, a state with high indices in healthcare, provides another example to emulate in this domain. "JEEVANI", a structured, state-wide, comprehensive college mental health programme for students in all government arts and science colleges of the state, has been successfully implemented. It is also the largest structured college mental health service in India. Each JEEVANI unit includes a full-time counsellor and offers evidence-based, clinically supervised interventions and referrals. The system is continuously improved through regular administrative feedback and is a model that other states, including Odisha, would do well to replicate. At the national level, the seriousness of the issue has reached the Supreme Court. In 2025, it constituted a National Task Force on the Mental Health Concerns of Students and the Prevention of Suicides in Higher Educational Institutions. The task force held its second meeting in April this year and is currently focusing on areas including identifying prominent causes leading to student suicides, analysing the effectiveness of existing student welfare and mental health policies, and eventually proposing reforms to strengthen institutional frameworks and create a supportive academic environment. While the task force might do a good job in meeting the objectives, its translation to action is a different story. Shaky Foundations Even the most well-intentioned support systems will fail if deeper structural issues remain unaddressed. As of early 2025, 65% of permanent teaching posts (1,307 positions) and 71% of non-teaching posts in Odisha's public universities remain vacant. Two of the largest universities in the state have failed to appoint student grievance ombudsmen despite multiple UGC directives. Discrimination based on gender, caste, or other marginalised identities continues to plague campuses, significantly impacting students' mental well-being. These issues are not unique to Odisha and are a well-documented national malaise afflicting higher education. Still, Odisha must take urgent, state-level action rather than wait for national reforms to trickle down. While the "Shaktishree" scheme may appear to be a step in the right direction, its limited scope and emphasis on safety over holistic support fall short of what is truly needed. The absence of a professionally structured, integrated, and evidence-informed student support ecosystem is a glaring gap. Until Odisha develops a comprehensive, well-funded, and expertly staffed plan for student well-being, the youth in its colleges will remain vulnerable not just to academic pressures, but to the compounded effects of neglect, abuse, and institutional apathy.
