Navigating POSH in Modern Tech Parks: Why Internal Committees Still Fail Women

The Prevention of Sexual Harassment (POSH) Act of 2013 was hailed as a landmark statutory shield for working women in India. A decade later, inside the sleek glass towers of Bengaluru and Gurugram, the reality of Internal Committees (ICs) paints a far more complicated picture.

The Conflict of Interest at the Core

By mandate, an Internal Committee is appointed by the employer. Even with an external independent member, the panel members are colleagues, managers, and HR leads whose career trajectories remain tied to the organization's bottom line.

When a high-performing senior director is accused of workplace harassment, the committee faces an implicit structural bias: protect the victim or mitigate risk for the corporation?

Silent Retaliation and Constructive Dismissal

For most women who file formal POSH complaints, the challenge is rarely just the inquiry itself — it is the quiet aftermath. Performance ratings mysteriously decline, key projects are reassigned, and subtle social isolation begins in team channels.

"The law guarantees protection against retaliation, but it cannot police the subtle cold shoulders and excluded calendar invites."

What Meaningful Reform Looks Like

To restore trust in POSH mechanisms: 1. **Third-party auditing** of IC proceedings to prevent corporate whitewashing. 2. **Transparent annual reporting** of complaint metrics in public filings. 3. **Mandatory legal protection** against constructive dismissal during and after inquiry.