Society and Economy of Karnataka in News

As per the Sexual Harassment of Women in the Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act of 2013, Section 4, an Internal Complaints Committee at ISEC has been set up. The Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) at ISEC has been constituted with the following members.

• Prof. Meenakshi Rajeev, Professor CESP, ISEC, Presiding Officer
• Ms. B P Vani, Associate Professor, CESP, ISEC, Member
• Dr. Channamma Kambara, Assistant Professor, CRUA, Member
• Shri. Sathish Kamath, Systems Analyst, Member
• Ms. K Suma, Selection Grade Assistant, Member
• Smt. Nimisha Kumar, Advocate, Member
• Dr. Vaishnavi Kuppuswamy, Chief Officer Grade 1, Karnataka Municipal Administrative Services, Government of Karnataka, Member
• Ms. Bhuvaneshwari T H, Ph.D Scholar, Member
• Mr. Bikram Barman, Ph.D Scholar, Member
• Ms. Megha Susan Philip, Ph.D Scholar, Member

Exclusive Email ID for Internal Complaints Committee: isecicc@gmail.com  The Supreme Court of India in its judgment delivered in August 1997 in the case of Vishaka and others laid down guidelines and norms for the effective enforcement of the basic human right of gender equality and guarantee against sexual harassment and abuse, more particularly against sexual harassment at workplaces. The above Supreme Court judgment also stated that “it shall be the duty of the employer or other responsible persons in work places to prevent or deter the commission of acts of sexual harassment and to provide the procedures for the resolution, settlement or prosecution of acts of sexual harassment by taking all steps required”. Accordingly, as per the above SC judgment, even before the ICC, a women’s cell was set up at ISEC, whose objectives were as follows:

1. To sensitise the ISEC community on gender equity issues through organising sensitivity programmes like seminars, publishing handouts, etc;
2. To promote general harmony and prevent discrimination of women and sexual harassment in the Institute by providing practical suggestions to the administration from time to time.
3. To deal with any instances of discrimination of women or sexual harassment by an employee or student in respect of any other employee or student of ISEC.

The term ‘Sexual Harassment’ is defined to include any sexually motivated behaviour, whether directly or by implication involving physical contacts or advances, demand for sexual favours, sexually-tainted remarks, exhibiting or showing of pornographic material and other physical, verbal or non-verbal expression of a sexual nature.