Sexual Harassment at Workplace — Prelims Strategy

Prelims Strategy

Read the scenario for workplace coverage, complainant status and the identity of the respondent. A small establishment or a complaint against the employer can make the Local Committee route relevant. Do not assume that an internal corporate policy exhausts the statutory framework or that the absence of physical contact necessarily excludes sexual harassment.

Keep procedural qualifications attached to the rule. The ordinary three-month complaint period is distinct from a possible extension for recorded reasons. Conciliation requires the aggrieved woman's request and cannot rest on a monetary settlement. An employer's preference for quick closure is not the same as that request.

For findings, distinguish not proved from malicious. Section 14 does not permit automatic punishment merely because adequate proof was unavailable. Fair opportunity to respond and sensitive handling should both appear in the correct interpretation. In case-law questions, attach the specific contribution to the judgment rather than treating the three verified cases as interchangeable endorsements of any procedural outcome.