Sexual harassment case: NCW directs separate PoSH committees across TCS offices

The National Commission for Women (NCW) has directed Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) to set up separate internal committees in all 127 units with 10 or more employees within four weeks to ensure compliance with the Prevention of Sexual Harassment (PoSH) Act.

New Delhi: The National Commission for Women (NCW) has directed Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) to constitute separate internal committees in all its 127 units with 10 or more employees within four weeks to strengthen compliance with the PoSH Act.

The directions were issued during a hearing conducted by the Commission on May 21 in connection with the TCS Nashik case under the chairpersonship of NCW chief Vijaya Rahatkar. Senior TCS officials attended the hearing virtually.

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At least nine persons have been arrested in connection with the alleged instances of sexual harassment, exploitation and religious conversion at the TCS unit in Nashik.

During the proceedings, the Commission raised serious concerns regarding systemic gaps in workplace safety and implementation of the Prevention of Sexual Harassment (PoSH) Act at the Nashik unit.

Issues discussed included the absence of accessible HR infrastructure and grievance redressal mechanisms, lack of a dedicated internal committee for the Nashik office, absence of a proper mechanism for filing PoSH complaints, non-functional CCTV infrastructure and concerns regarding supervisory accountability, the Commission said in a statement.

The Commission also questioned the continuation of a joint internal committee for Pune and Nashik units despite statutory requirements under the PoSH Act and asked why no senior official had visited the Nashik centre to directly interact with employees despite the seriousness of the concerns raised during the inquiry.

While acknowledging the Tata Group’s contribution to the country, the Commission said the group, as a “nationally respected corporate institution and role model”, was expected to implement the provisions of the PoSH Act “in both letter and spirit”.

Rahatkar directed TCS to undertake immediate corrective measures to strengthen institutional safeguards and PoSH compliance mechanisms.

“The Commission directed all 127 TCS units with ten or more employees to constitute separate internal committees within four weeks, conduct comprehensive POSH training programmes, ensure submission of annual POSH reports to concerned authorities and ensure the physical presence of concerned officials during the next review meeting scheduled after four weeks,” the statement said.

The Commission also said organisations must approach PoSH victims with “compassion, sensitivity and empathy”, and added that criminal proceedings in the matter would continue independently in accordance with law.