Lok Sabha Question No. 2490 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-02-13
Subject: Sexual Harassment at Workplace
Ministry: WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: Shri Sudama Prasad

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF WOMEN & CHILD DEVELOPMENT

## LOK SABHA UN- STARRED QUESTION NO. 2490

## TO BE ANSWERED ON 13.02.2026

## SEXUAL HARASSMENT AT WORKPLACE

## 2490.  SHRI SUDAMA PRASAD:

Will the Minister of Women and Child Development be pleased to state:

- (a) the number of cases regarding Sexual harassment and workplace misconduct reported in Government offices and their affiliated department/agencies (including anganwadi workers), during the last five years, State/UT-wise;
- (b) the number of cases disposed, pending, inquiry conducted and action taken during the last five years;
- (c) whether  the  Ministry  conducted  any  annual  audit/report  of  the  working  of  Internal Complaint Committee (ICC) in various States/UTs, if so, the details of such reports along with the action taken thereon and corrective measures adopted during the last five years; and
- (d) whether the Ministry has provided any compensation, legal aid/protection measures to the victims, if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT (SHRIMATI SAVITRI THAKUR)

(a) to  (d):  The  Sexual  Harassment  of  Women  at  Workplace  (Prevention,  Prohibition  and Redressal) Act, 2013' (SH Act) aims to provide a safe and secure working environment for women and covers all women, irrespective of age or employment status, in public and private sectors, organised and unorganised, including domestic workers.

The Act mandates the Appropriate Government to monitor the implementation of the Act and maintain data on number of cases filed and disposed of under SH Act.  As per the Act, Central Government is the Appropriate Government in respect of the workplaces established, owned, controlled or wholly or substantially financed by funds provided directly or indirectly by the Central  Government.  Similarly,  the  State  Government  is  the  Appropriate  Government  in respect of the workplaces established, owned, controlled or wholly or substantially financed by funds provided directly or indirectly by them. Further, the State Government is the Appropriate Government for all other workplaces falling/ working within their jurisdiction (other than those which are under the domain of Central Government).

The Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD), being the Nodal Ministry for the SH Act, launched the Sexual Harassment electronic Box (SHe-Box) Portal (https://shebox.wcd.gov.in/) on 29th August 2024 for effective implementation of the SH Act, as a transformative digital governance initiative.

However, SHe-Box is not a mechanism for statutory or regulatory oversight, but it is only an IT aid to provide a centralized online system to facilitate dissemination of information about the  ICs  and  LCs  constituted  at  various  workplaces  so  that  any  aggrieved  woman  may  file complaint in a secure and hassle-free manner and track its progress.  However, as mandated under the SH Act, the appropriate Governments are responsible to take action on the complaints filed through SHe-Box portal and monitor the implementation of the Act.

The portal provides options for disposal of complaints in accordance with Section 12 of the SH Act and Rules 8, 9, and 10 of 'the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Rules, 2013' (SH Rules). Details of complaints reported on the SHeBox Portal in Government offices and their affiliated department/agencies since its launch on 29 th August, 2024, is at Annexure.

The  Hon'ble  Supreme  Court,  through  its  order  dated  03  December  2024,  directed  Chief Secretaries  of  all  States  to  instruct  District  Officers  (Deputy  Commissioners,  District Magistrates, District Collectors etc.) to survey public and private organisations within their districts regarding the constitution of Internal Complaints Committees (ICs), and to ensure that details of ICs and Local Committees are uploaded on the SHe-Box portal of the MWCD for effective implementation of Sections 4 and 6 of the POSH Act. Subsequently, by orders dated 12 August 2025 and 06 January 2026, the Hon'ble Court further mandated that District Officers conduct these surveys with the assistance of Labour Commissioners at both district and state levels, and directed States to ensure that all collected data is properly on-boarded onto the SHeBox portal, thereby strengthening compliance and monitoring of workplaces for constituting Internal Committees.

As per the provisions of the SH Act, 2013, Government ensures that survivors are assisted through the statutory complaint disposal mechanism. Under Section 13(3), it is the duty of the employer to act within 60 days on receipt of the recommendations of the Internal Committee (IC), which may include disciplinary action, deduction from salary for compensation or other remedial  measures.  The  Act  itself  provides  for  protection  of  the  aggrieved  woman  during inquiry, including transfer, leave and other interim reliefs as recommended by the IC.

To facilitate access, the MWCD has made available on the SHe-Box portal, detailed FAQs explaining the rights and remedies under the Act, along with a list of helplines, including the Women Helpline (181) for assistance and the NALSA Helpline (15100) for free legal aid. In addition, State Legal Services Authorities and District Legal Services Authorities are mandated to provide legal support to the aggrieved woman.

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## ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (A) TO (D) OF LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2490  FOR  ANSWER  ON  13.12.2026  REGARDING 'SEXUAL HARASSMENT AT WORKPLACE'

State  and  UT-  wise  number  of  complaints  reported  on  the  SHe-  Box  Portal  in Government offices  and  their  affiliated  department/  agencies  since  its  launch  on  29 th August, 2024

| State / UT        |   Disposed |   Pending |   Total Complaint |
|-------------------|------------|-----------|-------------------|
| Andhra Pradesh    |          0 |         2 |                 2 |
| Assam             |          1 |         0 |                 1 |
| Bihar             |          0 |         8 |                 8 |
| Chandigarh        |          0 |         1 |                 1 |
| Chhattisgarh      |          4 |         0 |                 4 |
| Delhi             |          2 |         2 |                 4 |
| Gujarat           |          1 |         6 |                 7 |
| Haryana           |          0 |         1 |                 1 |
| Himachal Pradesh  |          0 |         5 |                 5 |
| Jammu and Kashmir |          2 |         1 |                 3 |
| Jharkhand         |          0 |         2 |                 2 |
| Karnataka         |          7 |         3 |                10 |
| Madhya Pradesh    |          0 |         1 |                 1 |
| Maharashtra       |          5 |         1 |                 6 |
| Orissa            |          0 |         5 |                 5 |
| Punjab            |          0 |         1 |                 1 |
| Rajasthan         |          1 |         6 |                 7 |
| Tamil Nadu        |          0 |         2 |                 2 |
| Telangana         |          0 |         2 |                 2 |
| Uttar Pradesh     |          0 |         4 |                 4 |
| West Bengal       |          0 |         3 |                 3 |
| Total             |         23 |        56 |                79 |

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