A nurse has approached the Delhi High Court seeking a direction to the Director of AIIMS, New Delhi, to decide a statutory appeal pending under the POSH Act for more than six months. The plea contends that the prolonged delay has effectively stalled the appellate mechanism available under the law, raising concerns about the timely redressal of workplace sexual harassment complaints.
The dispute stems from a complaint concerning remarks allegedly made during an official meeting in the Department of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery (CTVS) at AIIMS in September 2025. According to the petitioner, the Head of the Department made remarks including “Dr. ABC Nurso ke saath bachha paida kar raha tha” and “Gadho ke tarah kaam karne se kya hoga”, which she described as sexually coloured, derogatory, and humiliating towards nursing staff.
The matter was examined by the Internal Complaints Committee for Sexual Harassment of Women at the Workplace (ICCSHWW), which submitted its report in October 2025. While the Committee reportedly found the remarks inappropriate and detrimental to the professional dignity of female staff members, it did not recommend any action against the concerned official. Dissatisfied with that outcome, the petitioner filed a statutory appeal before the Director of AIIMS in November 2025, which, according to the plea, remains undecided.
The petition argues that the continued pendency of the appeal undermines the objectives of the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013, and renders the statutory remedy ineffective. Referring to the findings of the Internal Complaints Committee, the plea highlights that the remarks were found to be “inappropriate and undermining of professional dignity, especially of female staff”, yet no action was recommended against the concerned official.
The Petitioner has therefore sought a direction from the High Court for a time-bound hearing and disposal of the appeal by the competent appellate authority.
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