Date: 11th July 2023
Time: 11:00 A.M. – 1:00 P.M.
Venue: Seminar Hall, DYPBS
Resource Person: Adv. Anant Randive
Participants: Students of batch 2023-25
Faculty Coordinator: Dr. Sonali, Dr. Tejashri Talla, Ms. Suman Deokota
Organizer: Internal Complaint Committee of DYPBS
Objectives:
To spread awareness on prevention on Sexual harassment at workplace.
The session commenced with the felicitation of the guest (Advocate Anant Randive).
Advocate Anant started his insights by briefing the audience about the “Protection of Women from Sexual Harassment, 2013”. This law was passed by the Central Government on December 9, 2013. The POSH Act defines sexual harassment to include unwelcome acts such as physical contact and sexual advances, a demand or request for sexual favors, making sexually colored remarks, showing pornography, and any other unwelcome physical, verbal, or non-verbal conduct of a sexual nature.
The speaker then shed light on “Part 3 of the Indian Constitution,” which deals with the Fundamental Rights, under which he explained Article 14, which states that all citizens are treated equally. Article 15, which states that there should not be any discrimination based on religion, gender, color, geographical area, etc., and then Article 19, which deals with the “Freedom of Speech”.
Adv. Anant Randive continued his session by briefing the audience about “Section 354 of the IPC,” which states, Whoever assaults or uses criminal force against any woman, intending to outrage or knowing it to be likely that he will there by outrage her modesty, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which shall not be less than one year but which may extend to five years, and shall also be liable to a fine. The speaker then told the audience about the committees that are made for protecting women from domestic violence. The first committee is the “Internal Complaint Committee (ICC),” whose chairperson is a woman, with two members, one from a social background (NGOs) and another from a legal background. This committee sits five days a month, and the tenure for its chairperson and members is three years. At least 50% of the members should be women.
The second committee for protecting women against domestic violence is the “Local Complaint Committee (LCC),” headed by the District Collector and Asst. The district collector is the Chairman of this committee. LCC also has two members, one from NGOs and one from the SC/ST caste. The tenure for these committee members is 3 years.
Both committees accept only written complaints from women, but if the woman is uneducated, anyone can write the complaint on her behalf and submit it.
After his speech, there was a Q&A session where the students interacted with the speaker and cleared their doubts and queries related to “Laws, Articles, and Sections under the Indian Penal Code”. The session ends with a vote of thanks by Ms. Saloni, a student at Dr. D.Y. Patil B-School.