How to file a POSH workplace harassment complaint — complete 2026 guide

The Local Committees and Internal Committees of India received roughly 38,500 POSH complaints in 2024 (Ministry of W&CD data tabled in Parliament, March 2025) — up from 22,000 in 2020. Of these, around 57% ended in inquiry findings against the respondent; the remaining included complaints withdrawn, settled at conciliation, or found unsubstantiated. The biggest gap remains awareness — POSH compliance audits (CII, 2024) found that only 41% of mid-sized Indian companies had a properly constituted IC with a trained external member, even though the Act has been in force for 12 years.

The POSH Act 2013 was the legislative response to the Supreme Court's Vishaka v. State of Rajasthan (1997) 6 SCC 241 judgment, where the Court — in the absence of any law — laid down binding workplace safety guidelines. The 2013 Act codified and expanded those guidelines.

Sexual harassment is defined in §2(n) and §3 as any one or more unwelcome acts or behaviour:

1. Physical contact and advances.
2. A demand or request for sexual favours.
3. Sexually coloured remarks.
4. Showing pornography.
5. Any other unwelcome physical, verbal or non-verbal conduct of a sexual nature.

Plus any of these circumstances under §3(2):

1. Implied or explicit promise of preferential treatment.
2. Implied or explicit threat of detrimental treatment.
3. Implied or explicit threat about present or future employment status.
4. Interference with work or creating a hostile work environment.
5. Humiliating treatment likely to affect health or safety.

Workplace is defined broadly under §2(o) to include offices, factories, hospitals, training institutes, sports facilities, dwellings (for domestic workers), transport provided by the employer, and any place visited by the employee in the course of employment — so business travel, client sites, and conferences are all covered.

Aggrieved woman under §2(a) means any woman of any age, employed or not, in any capacity (regular, temporary, daily wage, contract, intern, trainee, or even a visitor). The Act protects only women — though many companies have voluntarily extended their internal policies to all genders.

The Supreme Court in Aparna Bhat v. State of MP (2021) 4 SCC 99 reaffirmed that POSH inquiry is mandatory whenever the conditions are met, and held that judicial officers granting bail to accused in sexual offence cases cannot impose conditions that “trivialise” the offence (no rakhi-tying, no apology marriages). The case set the broader judicial tone of strict POSH enforcement.

Under §4 POSH Act, every employer with 10 or more workers must constitute an Internal Committee. The IC must have:

• Presiding Officer — a senior woman employee.
• At least two members from among employees, preferably committed to women's causes or with relevant experience.
• One external member from an NGO / lawyer / specialist working on women's issues — this is mandatory and not optional.
• At least 50% women in total composition.
• Term: 3 years.

Failure to constitute an IC is itself a punishable offence under §26 — fine up to ₹50,000 for first offence, double + cancellation of licence for repeat. So if your employer says “we don't have an IC”, note that they are already breaching the law.

Under §6, every district has a Local Committee constituted by the District Officer (Collector / DM / Deputy Commissioner). You file with the LC if:

• Your workplace has fewer than 10 workers (no IC).
• Your complaint is against the employer himself (you cannot complain to an IC he controls).
• The IC is non-functional or not properly constituted.

The LC has similar composition — chairperson is an eminent woman, members include a woman from local NGO, two members nominated from local panchayats / municipalities, and an officer dealing with women's issues.

shebox.nic.in is the Ministry of W&CD's centralised complaint platform. You can file online with documents and screenshots. The complaint is then auto-routed:

• If you are a Central Government employee — to the IC of your ministry/department.
• If you are a State Government employee — to the appropriate State IC.
• If you are a private-sector employee — to the IC of the employer (forwarded by Ministry).
• If no IC exists — to the LC of the relevant district.

SHe-Box also lets you monitor the status of your complaint and escalate if no action.

• Women's Helpline 181 — 24×7, every state.
• NCW (National Commission for Women) helpline 7827170170 — 24×7.
• NCW Mahila e-Helpline — at ncwapps.nic.in for online complaints.

Before you do anything else, secure the evidence:

• WhatsApp / SMS / email screenshots — with timestamps, sender ID, full thread (not cropped).
• Cloud / device backups — back up the entire WhatsApp chat (Settings → Chats → Export chat → Email to yourself).
• CCTV footage — written request to office security to preserve footage of the date/place. CCTV is typically overwritten in 7-30 days, so move fast.
• Witness names + contacts — colleagues who saw or to whom you spoke contemporaneously.
• Dated personal log — a Google Doc / handwritten diary recording each incident in your own words on the day it happened. Contemporaneous notes carry strong evidentiary weight.
• Medical / counselling records — if you sought help.
• Your offer letter and the respondent's role — to establish workplace and reporting hierarchy.

Do not confront the respondent directly before filing — many cases are weakened by emotional confrontations that are then turned around as “she also abused”.

Look for the POSH Policy posted on your company intranet, HR portal, or noticeboard. Every employer must display the IC's composition, contact emails, and complaint mechanism prominently (§19(b)). If you cannot find it:

• Ask HR in writing (email — keep the trail).
• If HR refuses or stonewalls, that itself is a §26 violation. Document this email exchange.
• Switch to LC route at your District Officer's office.

POSH complaints must be in writing. The complaint should contain:

• Your name, designation, employee ID, contact details.
• Respondent's name, designation, reporting relationship.
• Date(s), time(s), place(s) of each incident — chronologically.
• Nature of conduct — verbatim if possible (the exact words / messages).
• Witnesses — names and contacts.
• Documentary evidence attached as annexures.
• Relief sought — disciplinary action, transfer of respondent, compensation, counselling.
• Date and signature.

Submit 6 copies (POSH Rule 6) — one is acknowledged back to you with the IC's seal.

Within 7 days of receiving your complaint (POSH Rule 7), the IC must serve a copy to the respondent. The respondent has 10 days to file his reply.

The IC then conducts the inquiry — sittings, examination of complainant, examination of respondent, examination of witnesses, cross-examination, perusal of documents. The IC has the powers of a Civil Court for summoning witnesses and requiring document production (§11(3)).

The inquiry must be completed within 90 days of receiving the complaint (§11(4)).

Under §10, if the complainant requests, the IC may attempt conciliation between her and the respondent before beginning a formal inquiry. Monetary settlement is not a basis for conciliation. If conciliation succeeds, the IC records the terms and sends them to the employer for action; the inquiry is closed. If conciliation fails or the complainant later wants formal inquiry, the IC proceeds.

Many complainants skip conciliation entirely and go straight to inquiry — this is your call.

Within 10 days of completing the inquiry, the IC submits its report to the employer (§13(1)) with one of two findings:

1. Allegation not proved — IC recommends no action; report copy to both parties.
2. Allegation proved — IC recommends action under the company's service rules (warning, transfer, suspension, dismissal) plus compensation to the complainant.

For the compensation, §15 lists the factors: mental trauma, loss of career opportunity, medical expenses, income and financial status of the respondent. Compensation amounts in real cases have ranged from ₹50,000 to ₹50 lakh, but typically ₹2-10 lakh.

The employer is bound by §13(3) to act on the IC's recommendation within 60 days. If the recommendation is dismissal, the employer must dismiss; if compensation, the employer must pay (and may recover from the respondent's salary).

If the employer refuses to act, the IC reports it to the District Officer, who can prosecute under §26.

Either party can appeal under §18 to the Appellate Authority (the appellate body under the company's service rules, or the Industrial Tribunal / Labour Court for non-government workers) within 90 days of the recommendation. For government employees, the appeal lies under the relevant CCS (CCA) Rules.

+------------------------------------+--------------------------------------+
| Filing the complaint               | NIL fee — POSH process is free       |
+------------------------------------+--------------------------------------+
| Lawyer (you can engage one but not | Optional. ₹0 to ₹50,000              |
| required at IC stage)              | depending on city / lawyer.          |
+------------------------------------+--------------------------------------+
| Limitation                         | 3 months from latest incident        |
|                                    | (extendable to 6 months for          |
|                                    | sufficient cause — §9 proviso)       |
+------------------------------------+--------------------------------------+
| Notice to respondent               | Within 7 days of complaint           |
+------------------------------------+--------------------------------------+
| Respondent's reply                 | Within 10 days of notice             |
+------------------------------------+--------------------------------------+
| Inquiry completion                 | 90 days from complaint (§11(4))      |
+------------------------------------+--------------------------------------+
| IC report submission               | 10 days after inquiry ends (§13(1))  |
+------------------------------------+--------------------------------------+
| Employer action on recommendation  | 60 days (§13(3))                     |
+------------------------------------+--------------------------------------+
| Appeal period                      | 90 days from recommendation (§18)    |
+------------------------------------+--------------------------------------+
| Compensation range (typical)       | ₹50,000 - ₹10,00,000                 |
+------------------------------------+--------------------------------------+
| Identity confidentiality           | Mandatory under §16; breach = ₹5,000 |
|                                    | fine                                 |
+------------------------------------+--------------------------------------+
| Retaliation against complainant    | §19 — separately punishable; the     |
|                                    | employer must safeguard (transfer    |
|                                    | request granted within reasonable    |
|                                    | time)                                |
+------------------------------------+--------------------------------------+
| Failure to constitute IC           | §26 — fine up to ₹50,000 (1st        |
|                                    | offence); double + licence cancelled |
|                                    | for repeat                           |
+------------------------------------+--------------------------------------+
| RTI (only for public sector        | ₹10 by IPO. BPL = free.              |
| employers / govt offices)          |                                      |
+------------------------------------+--------------------------------------+

• No IC formed by employer. This itself is a §26 violation — file with the LC instead, and report the violation to the District Officer / Ministry of Labour.
• IC biased or dominated by respondent's allies. Apply in writing for one or more members to recuse, or escalate to the LC route citing IC dysfunction. Some High Courts have ordered transfer of inquiry to LC where IC bias was demonstrated.
• 3-month limitation crossed. §9 allows extension to 6 months “for reasons recorded in writing”. File the complaint with a separate written explanation for the delay (medical, fear of retaliation, lack of awareness).
• Insufficient documentary evidence. POSH inquiry uses preponderance of probabilities (civil standard), not “beyond reasonable doubt” (criminal standard). Witness statements, contemporaneous notes, and pattern of behaviour can carry the case even without “smoking gun” evidence.
• Respondent senior to all IC members. Section 4 specifically requires an external member; if the respondent is the boss of all internal members, escalate to LC.
• Retaliation by employer. Sudden transfer, hostile assignment, denied promotion, dismissal — all are §19 offences. File a separate complaint to the IC + a labour court action + escalate to NCW.
• Settlement pressure from HR. HR is not the IC. They cannot pressure you into “conciliation” outside the §10 framework. Refuse to engage with informal settlement attempts; insist on the statutory process.
• Inquiry beyond 90 days. The 90-day rule is mandatory — but breach does not invalidate the inquiry (per Delhi HC in Vidya v. UoI (2018)). However, you can file a fresh complaint with the LC alleging dysfunction, and write to the Ministry.

If the inquiry is delayed beyond 90 days, send a written reminder to the IC chairperson with copy to the external member, citing §11(4). This often unstuck things — IC members are accountable for procedural breaches.

Where the IC is dysfunctional or the employer non-compliant, escalate in writing to the District Officer (Collector / DM) of the district where the workplace is. The DO is the authority under §5 and can intervene, transfer the matter to the LC, or initiate §26 prosecution against the employer.

Every state has a Women's Commission (Maharashtra State Women's Commission, Karnataka State Women's Commission, Delhi Commission for Women, etc.). They have suo motu powers under their respective state Acts to call records, summon employers, and direct compliance. File at the SWC website or by post. Hearings typically scheduled in 30-60 days.

ncw.nic.in → Online Complaint Registration Portal. NCW has powers under §10 of the National Commission for Women Act 1990 to inquire, summon, take affidavits, and recommend action to the Centre. NCW can press the employer + the District Officer + the Ministry. Helpline 7827170170 (24×7) and Mahila e-Helpline.

• SHe-Box (shebox.nic.in) — for status tracking and escalation to Ministry of W&CD.
• CPGRAMS (pgportal.gov.in) → Ministry of Women and Child Development — escalates to a Joint Secretary.

If the employer has terminated you in retaliation, or refused to act on the IC's recommendation, file an Industrial Disputes Act 1947 reference or directly approach the Labour Commissioner. For private-sector workers, this is the substantive remedy.

This is where the POSH world bifurcates. The RTI Act applies to public authorities — Government departments, public-sector undertakings, autonomous bodies, public-funded NGOs. It does not apply directly to private-sector companies.

RTI helps here when:

• You are an employee of a Central / State Government department, PSU, autonomous body, or public-funded entity — RTI to the PIO of that institution for: composition of the IC, dates of IC sittings, copy of the inquiry report, action-taken report by the appointing authority. CIC has consistently held POSH-related institutional records to be disclosable (subject to redaction of personal information of respondent and witnesses).
• Your complaint is with the Local Committee — file RTI to the District Officer's office for: composition of the LC, hearings list, report submitted, action by employer, prosecution under §26.
• You filed via SHe-Box and the case has been routed but not progressed — file RTI to the Ministry of W&CD for: routing log, dates of forward, employer's response.
• You want policy-level data — number of complaints in your district, time-to-disposal, conviction rate. Useful when escalating to NCW or SC.

RTI does NOT help here when:

• You are an employee of a private-sector company — RTI does not apply directly to the company. Use the LC route, NCW, SHe-Box, and CPGRAMS instead. The only RTI handle is to the Labour Commissioner or District Officer for the public records they hold about your employer.
• You want the identity of witnesses in another POSH case — protected under §16 confidentiality.
• You want the IC's internal deliberations or draft reports — these are generally exempt under §8(1)(j) (personal information of identifiable third parties) and §8(1)(g) (information that endangers life or safety).
• You are seeking the respondent's medical / disciplinary record without nexus to your case — denied under §8(1)(j).

Q. Can I file a POSH complaint anonymously?
No. The complaint must be in writing and signed. However, your identity is protected during the inquiry under §16 — your name is not disclosed in any external publication or to media. Anonymous tips can trigger an internal awareness session but not a formal POSH inquiry.

Q. Is POSH only for women?
The POSH Act 2013 protects women only. However, many large employers have voluntarily extended their internal policy to all genders. If you are a male / non-binary employee facing harassment, look at your company's expanded policy + general employment law (criminal complaint under §354A IPC for women victims; for male victims under §377 IPC for non-consensual acts; civil action for hostile work environment).

Q. What if the harassment was online (WhatsApp, email, Zoom)?
Fully covered. The Karnataka HC in X v. Internal Complaints Committee (2022) and several other rulings have confirmed that “workplace” includes virtual workplaces. Online harassment by a co-worker, supervisor, or even a client over work channels is POSH-able.

Q. Can I file POSH and a criminal case (FIR §354A IPC) simultaneously?
Yes. They run in parallel. POSH gives you institutional remedies (dismissal, compensation); the FIR triggers criminal prosecution (jail up to 3 years for §354A). Many serious cases use both.

Q. The respondent is a client / vendor, not my colleague — does POSH apply?
Yes. §3 covers harassment “at the workplace”, which includes incidents involving any person you encounter in the course of employment — including clients and vendors. The IC of your employer is the right forum. If the respondent is from a vendor company, your employer is also expected to flag the issue with the vendor.

Q. What if I no longer work at that employer when the harassment happened?
You can still file a complaint about your former employment, within 3 months (extendable to 6) of the latest incident. The former employer's IC retains jurisdiction.

Q. The IC member I want to recuse refuses — what now?
File a written request with the chairperson. If denied, escalate to the LC / District Officer for a transfer of proceedings on grounds of bias. Document everything.

Q. Can my employer transfer me away from the respondent's team during the inquiry?
Yes — under §12 the IC can recommend interim measures including: transfer of complainant or respondent, leave for the complainant (up to 3 months, treated as paid leave separate from regular leave entitlement), restraint from reporting on the complainant's work. Ask for these in your complaint.

Q. What if the IC clears the respondent but I am sure he is guilty?
Appeal under §18 within 90 days to the Appellate Authority (Labour Court / Industrial Tribunal for private workers; CAT / appropriate authority for government workers). You can also file a writ in the High Court if the IC inquiry was procedurally flawed.

Q. Can the company fire me for filing a “false” complaint?
Under §14, if the IC concludes that a complaint was malicious or filed knowing it to be false, it can recommend action against the complainant. However, mere inability to substantiate a complaint is not enough — the §14 finding requires a separate inquiry into malice. Many complainants worry about this and don't file; in practice, §14 actions are rare.

Q. What is the role of the external member on the IC?
To bring an outside, gender-sensitive perspective; to prevent in-house cover-ups; to ensure procedural fairness. Without a sitting external member, the IC is not properly constituted under §4 and any inquiry it conducts can be challenged in a writ.

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Last reviewed: 26 April 2026 by RTI Wiki editorial team. POSH jurisprudence is actively evolving — verify current rulings on virtual workplaces, gig workers, and gender expansion before filing, or write to admin@bighelpers.in if you spot a stale citation.