wl-4741-Impossible Justice: Pitfalls and Limitations of the Policy Against Sexual Harassment in Indian Universities

Internal Complaint Committee is mandated to adjudicate cases of sexual harassment in India. This article discusses some of the issues that the authors, as ICC members, have encountered in their work in university set-up. These issues, we argue stem from gaps and loopholes in the policy guidelines that often make it impossible for justice to be served. We discuss some conceptual questions that policy directives raise, highlight certain procedural requirements that are unsustainable and articulate the structural lacuna that limit the ICC from functioning effectively. The article also discusses the need for effective sensitization and budgetary support that is vital to the work of the ICC. Drawing upon our lived experiences of these issues, we argue that if the letter and the spirit of the law that provides protection against sexual harassment is to be followed, concrete steps need to be taken to make the processes and procedures of ICCs robust and rigorous.