New Delhi, (Samajweekly) A Delhi court has convicted SriLankan Airlines for not having an Internal Complaint Committee to address sexual harassment at workplace in violation of Indian laws, on a complaint filed by its former women employee.
In an order dated December 21, Metropolitan Magistrate Dev Saroha stated, “I am of the considered opinion that the accused has violated Section 4 (1) of Sexual Harassment of Women (Prevention Prohibition and Redressal Act) and is liable to be convicted u/s 26 of the same.”
Section 4 of Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act states that every employer of a workplace shall, by an order in writing, constitute a committee to be known as the “Internal Complaint Committee”.
“Therefore, in ultimate analysis as a result of trial, the accused SriLankan airlines is convicted for the offence u/s 26 of Sexual Harassment for Women at Work Place (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal Act) 2013,” the judge added.
The SriLankan Airlines was convicted on a complaint was filed by a Delhi-based Sales Executive after she was sexually harassed by an employee in 2009.
The court noted that on the date of filing of the complaint, the SriLankan Airlines did not have the internal complaint committee as per Prevention of Sexual Harassment at the Workplace (POSH) Act or any permanent committee in terms of Vikshkha guidelines.
In September, the court had held former regional manager of SriLankan Airlines guilty Lalit D’Silva for outraging her modesty.
