Supreme Court Declines PIL to Enforce POSH Act on Political Parties

The Supreme Court rejected a PIL demanding that the POSH Act cover all political parties, stating that the matter is within parliamentary jurisdiction. The petition highlighted non-compliance by parties regarding sexual harassment complaint committees. The petitioner was permitted to withdraw the plea and challenge a Kerala High Court judgment separately.

In a significant development, the Supreme Court on Friday dismissed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) aimed at extending the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition, and Redressal) Act, 2013 (POSH Act) to political parties nationwide.

Chief Justice of India BR Gavai, who headed the bench along with Justice K Vinod Chandran, emphasized that this issue is a matter of legislative policy, thereby falling outside the court's intervention. 'This is the domain of the Parliament. How can we interfere?' CJI Gavai remarked to the petitioner's counsel.

The petition, filed by advocate Yogamaya MG, underscored political parties' non-compliance with the necessary establishment of Internal Complaints Committees (ICCs) to address sexual harassment. It sought the Election Commission's mandate for ICC formation as a registration prerequisite for political entities. Named respondents included major parties like the Indian National Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party.

(With inputs from agencies.)