Airline employee moves HC for implementing Vishaka guidelines

An Indian woman employee of Srilankan Airlines here moved a petition in the Delhi High Court today for action against the air carrier for alleged non-implemention of the Vishaka guidelines which deals with cases of sexual harassment at workplaces.
The petition was mentioned before a vacation bench of justices Siddharth Mridul and Sunita Gupta which agreed to hear the matter on June 20.
The petition by the woman, a sales executive in the airline, was mentioned by advocate Ajay Verma who said her complaint of sexual harassment against a senior colleague, a Sri Lankan, has been pending since 2009 and the airline has not taken any action against him.

Verma contended that the Vishaka guidelines have not been implemented by Srilankan Airlines Ltd till date and sought directions to the ministries concerned--Civil Aviation and Women and Child Development--to take action against the company for non-implementation of the guidelines.
The petition seeks government direction to ensure implementation of the Vishaka guidelines as well as provisions of the Sexual Harassment at Workplace Act in all airlines which fall under the jurisdiction of the Civil Aviation Ministry.
It said the woman was transferred to Kochi from Delhi as a result of the complaint against the senior official

In 2013 when she again enquired about the status of her complaint, she was informed that it is now a closed subject, her petition said.

Thereafter, she got in touch with the National Commission for Women which sent a letter to the Delhi police commissioner to look into the matter, the petition said.
Subsequently, after conducting an enquiry into the allegations, the police had lodged a FIR against the senior colleague named in her complaint, the petition said.
She has alleged that as she refused to withdraw the police complaint, she was then transferred to Bangalore from Kochi.