PIL before Supreme Court to apply POSH Act to political parties

A public interest litigation (PIL) petition has been filed before the Supreme Court of India to apply the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition, and Redressal) Act, 2013 (PoSH Act) to political parties across the country..The PIL has been filed by a Supreme Court lawyer, advocate Yogamaya MG and will be heard by a Bench of Justices Surya Kant and Manmohan on December 9..The plea has highlighted non-compliance with the Act by political parties, particularly when it comes to constitution of Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) to deal with sexual harassment complaints.As per the plea,1. CPI(M): Has set up ICCs with external members 2. AAP: Lacks transparent details about their Committees 3. BJP: Admitted to inadequate ICC structures, with complaints often managed by Disciplinary Committees or referred to State-level offices 4. Congress: Admitted to inadequate ICC structures, with complaints often managed by Disciplinary Committees or referred to State-level offices 5. All-India Professional Congress: Mandated an ICC; but this does not extend to the broader All India Congress Committee (AICC)According to the petition, the lack of standardized ICCs across political parties may lead to Inadequate reporting and addressing of sexual harassment cases.It will also cause varied levels of protection and support for victims and perpetuation of a culture that tolerates or ignores sexual harassment, it has been contended."The lack of transparency, inadequate structures, and inconsistent implementation of ICCs perpetuate a culture that fails to prioritize women's safety and empowerment," the plea states..The plea has prayed that the definitions of 'workplace' and 'employer' under the Act should be harmoniously interpreted in case of political parties."Political parties, with their often informal and complex organizational structures, do not align with the nature of workplaces envisioned by the POSH Act. The difficulties in applying the Act’s detailed procedures and norms within such entities could undermine its effectiveness and dilute its core objective of providing protection and redress in a structured employment context."It has also sought a grievance redressal mechanism for enforcement of the POSH Act..The plea has made the Union government, and the Congress, BJP, TMC, NCP, NPP, BSP, AAP, CPI(M) and CPI parties respondents in the matter.Advocates Sriram Parakkat and Deepak Prakash would be appearing for the petitioner..The Supreme Court had recently sought the Central government's response to a plea to secure the service conditions of those who are part of Internal Complaints Committees (ICCs) set up under the Act.