Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act 2013

Applies to

All workplaces with ≥10 employees (Internal Committee mandatory). Workplaces with <10 employees route complaints through the district Local Committee. Coverage extends to organised + unorganised sector and to interns, apprentices, domestic workers and visitors at the workplace.

Key points

• Internal Committee composition: presiding officer (woman, senior employee), 2 employee members, 1 external member from an NGO familiar with sexual-harassment issues.
• Annual POSH report to District Officer mandatory; non-compliance penalty up to ₹50,000 (doubled on repeat).
• Disclosure required in Board's Report (Companies Act §134) and BRSR Principle 5.
• Supreme Court 2023/2025 directions strengthened state-level monitoring + Local Committee constitution.

Applicability triggers

• Workplace with ≥10 employees → Internal Committee mandatory
• Workplace with <10 employees → comply with Local Committee referrals

Practitioner questions

• Is my Internal Committee composition compliant after the 2025 Supreme Court direction?
• What is the format of the annual POSH return — and do remote / hybrid workers count toward the ≥10 threshold?
• How does POSH disclosure interact with BRSR Principle 5 indicators?

Sources

• POSH Act 2013 (India Code)
• Ministry of Women and Child Development — Handbook