SC sexual harassment panel gets 2 complaints since Nov 2013

The committee set up in the Supreme Court to deal with instances of sexual harassment within its precincts has received two complaints from two women lawyers since its inception in November 2013.
"Both the complaints are pending disposal," said the Supreme Court Gender Sensitization and Internal Complaints Committee (GSICC), in its annual report which was made public today in the apex court website.
The report has not disclosed the names of the alleged offenders.
It said the statement of one of the complainants was video recorded by its three-member internal sub-committee and recording of statement of the other woman lawyer was deferred on her request.

The report said that GSICC was constituted on November 26 last year with an object to fulfil an important function of sensitizing the public on gender issues and to address complaints made with regard to sexual harassment in the precincts of the Supreme Court.
"In the First Meeting of GSICC held on December 9, 2013, an Internal Sub-Committee of three members was constituted in terms of Clause 9 (1) of the said Regulations. The three members are Indu Malhotra, Senior Advocate, L Nageshwar Rao, Senior Advocate and Bharti Ali, co-director of HAQ, an NGO.

"Two complaints received by the GSICC from aggrieved women lawyers have been submitted to the Internal Sub-Committee. The Internal Sub-Committee initiated the process of examining the two complaints.

Chief Justice of India P Sathasivam had formed GSICC which is headed by the Supreme Court's woman judge, Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai, and has six other female members.
There are two members who are outsiders and not connected with the apex court in any manner.