Know Your Rights at Work

01 / Law · PIH explanation

Who Is Protected Under the POSH Act?

The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 establishes a statutory framework for preventing and addressing sexual harassment of women at workplaces in India.

The Act uses the term ‘aggrieved woman’. In relation to a workplace, this includes a woman of any age, whether employed or not, who alleges that she has been subjected to sexual harassment by a respondent. Coverage is not necessarily confined to permanent employees.

The definition of ‘employee’ is broad: it includes persons working on regular, temporary, contractual, probationary, training, apprenticeship, voluntary and other qualifying arrangements. The definition of workplace extends beyond a conventional corporate office to different institutions and work-related locations, subject to the Act’s terms.

Domestic workers have specific definitions and procedural provisions which may require a different route.

• A woman employed by a company may fall within the statutory framework.
• A woman working as a trainee or apprentice may also be covered.
• A woman visiting a workplace may require consideration under the definitions of aggrieved woman and workplace.
• A concern arising during employment-related travel may require assessment under the workplace definition.

02 / Law · PIH explanation

Recognising Conduct Addressed by the Law

Section 2(n) identifies forms of unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature: physical contact or advances, requests or demands for sexual favours, sexually coloured remarks, showing pornography, and other unwelcome physical, verbal or non-verbal conduct of a sexual nature.

Conduct must be assessed in its actual context. A person’s position, the nature of an interaction and the surrounding circumstances can be relevant.

Section 3 also addresses circumstances associated with conduct amounting to sexual harassment, including promises of preferential treatment, threats of detrimental treatment or concerning employment status, interference with work, hostile working conditions and humiliating treatment likely to affect health or safety.

A workplace disagreement does not automatically establish sexual harassment. Equally, the absence of physical contact does not automatically exclude conduct from the statutory definition. Legal characterisation depends on the facts and applicable law.

03 / Law · official Government information · PIH explanation

Where Can a Workplace Sexual Harassment Complaint Be Made?

The Act establishes different institutional routes depending on the workplace and the circumstances. A digital registration route and a statutory Committee perform different roles.

Rights & Reporting Routes Navigator

PIH explanation of distinct routes. This navigator does not choose a forum for you, assess an allegation or submit a complaint.

• SHe-Box information
• SHe-Box complaint guidance

04 / Law · Rules · practical guidance

What Should You Know Before Making a Complaint?

Section 9 addresses a written complaint. The ordinary statutory period is three months from the incident, or from the last incident in a series. The IC or LC may extend it by up to a further three months where the statutory conditions are satisfied and reasons are recorded in writing. An extension is not automatic.

Where the aggrieved woman cannot make the complaint in writing, the applicable Committee member must provide reasonable assistance under Section 9. Section 9(2) and Rule 6 address specified circumstances in which she cannot make the complaint herself; the legally available route depends on the circumstances.

As a practical step, you may find it helpful to organise relevant dates, communications and other information already lawfully available to you. You do not need to upload evidence or complete a PIH preparation exercise before contacting the appropriate statutory forum.

05 / Law · Rules · PIH explanation

How Does the Statutory Process Work?

The appropriate Committee applies the relevant statutory framework, prescribed procedure and applicable service rules. This is an orientation to possible stages, not a case-specific procedural determination.

• Section 11(4): the inquiry is to be completed within ninety days.
• Section 13(1): the inquiry report is to be provided within ten days of completion of the inquiry, to the employer or District Officer, and made available to the concerned parties.
• Section 13(4): the employer or District Officer is to act on the recommendations within sixty days of receipt.
• Section 18(2): an appeal under Section 18(1) is to be preferred within ninety days of the recommendations, through the applicable statutory or service-rule route.

06 / Law · PIH privacy explanation

Understanding Confidentiality During the Process

Section 16 restricts publication and specified disclosures of complaint and inquiry information. Subject to its terms, protected material includes complaint contents, identities and addresses of concerned persons, conciliation and inquiry information, Committee recommendations and action taken under the Act.

These restrictions protect dignity, safety and process integrity. They do not guarantee that a statutory complaint can proceed without the respondent or relevant participants knowing the allegations or necessary information. Procedural fairness may require legally appropriate communication within the inquiry.

Reading this page does not transmit an incident account to PIH. It contains no incident-description form, document uploader or personal-history tool. A separate support interaction has its own privacy and consent arrangements.

07 / Law · practical guidance

What if You Are Being Pressured Not to Speak?

Concerns may be accompanied by pressure, threats, isolation or fears about professional consequences. Section 3 recognises circumstances such as threats of detrimental treatment and interference with work in relation to conduct amounting to sexual harassment.

Other legal, contractual and institutional protections may be relevant. Pressure to withdraw a complaint, interference with witnesses, threats connected with reporting or other potentially improper treatment may warrant appropriate support. Each concern requires assessment; retaliation is not automatically established by an allegation.

• Seek information about the applicable institutional process.
• Preserve relevant information lawfully available to you.
• Consider qualified legal assistance where employment or disciplinary consequences may arise.
• Avoid unnecessary public disclosure of protected complaint details.
• Use an appropriate official or professional support route.

• Explore support through Get Help

08 / Official legal-aid information · PIH guidance

Where Can You Find Further Help?

You may wish to understand the options before deciding whether to take a formal step. PIH provides general workplace-safety information and may offer appropriate private support through its separate, controlled assistance process.

Official Government information, the relevant statutory Committee and qualified legal assistance are other sources of help. NALSA identifies women as an eligible category for free legal services regardless of income, subject to the applicable Legal Services Authorities framework. The relevant Authority assesses the request under that framework; eligibility does not promise a particular outcome.

NALSA’s Assistance for Women page explains how to approach a Taluk Legal Services Committee, the District Legal Services Authority at the district court, or the State Legal Services Authority. It also describes online applications and legal-aid clinics. You can ask about legal advice without first deciding to start court proceedings.

No account, registration or incident disclosure is needed to use the educational portions of this page.

• NALSA: how women can seek assistance ↗
• NALSA legal-aid access and eligibility ↗
• Explore Your Support Options

Questions you may have