The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a plea challenging a Bombay High Court ruling that the Workplace Harassment Act doesn’t apply to advocates. The court issued a notice of appeal, emphasizing that professional bodies should have internal complaints committees to ensure a safe workplace for women in the legal profession. NEW DELHI: SC on Friday agreed to hear Supreme Court Women Lawyers Association’s plea to make Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act applicable to sexual harassment complaints against advocates. It issued a notice of appeal against a Bombay high court judgment holding that the Act was not applicable to advocates.A bench of Justices B V Nagarathna and R Mahadevan issued notice on the petition and tagged it along with a similar petition filed earlier. The association said the HC judgment was against the principles laid down by the apex court, which had directed every professional body must have an internal complaints committee.Senior advocate Mahalakshmi Pavani, appearing for the petitioner, said the HC judgment left women in the profession without remedies and no permanent grievance redress committee. She argued that the HC had adopted a narrow interpretation by holding that the POSH Act did not apply in the absence of an employer-employee relationship, and had ignored that the Act was a special law meant to ensure a safe and dignified workplace for women.The HC had ruled that the POSH Act did not apply to complaints by female advocate members of the Bar Council of India or the Bar Council of Maharashtra and Goa, saying the Act applied only where there was an employer-employee relationship, and that Bar Councils could not be considered employers of advocates.End of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideosTejas Crash: IAF Pilot Killed In Dubai Crash Identified As Wing Commander Namansh SyalDefence Experts Break Down Possible Causes Behind Tejas Fighter Jet Crash In DubaiPM Modi Gets Rousing Welcome From Indian Diaspora In Johannesburg Ahead Of G20 Summit | South Africa’‘I Am A Hindu’: Shashi Tharoor Evokes Swami Vivekananda To Tell The World What Hinduism Stands ForAmit Shah Says BSF Crushed 118 Pak Posts, He Issues Tough Security Message From Sindoor Van In KutchEx-CIA Reveals Savage Reply To Imran Khan’s PTI After Apology Demand Over His India-Pak War Analysis’All 140 MLAs Are Mine’: DK Shivakumar Amid Karnataka CM Speculation; Siddaramaiah RespondsKabul Turns To India As New Trade Partner Amid Pak Blockades And Push For Fresh Regional CorridorsTejas Crashes In Dubai Air Show Display As Massive Fireball Sparks Panic, Pilot Succumbs To InjuriesDeadly 5.5 Earthquake Rocks Bangladesh, Killing At Least Six, Triggers Widespread Panic Across Dhaka123PhotostoriesCan the 10-3-2-1 rule improve your sleep? Here’s what science says‘120 Bahadur’ star Raashii Khanna’s promotional looksWhat causes high uric acid levels, early symptoms and how to bring it down naturally with science backed tipsTop Harvard doctor reveals the right time to eat these 7 nuts to gain maximum benefitsVegetarian Thanksgiving: 4 mains that taste better than the Turkey10 dhaba-style Paneer dishes to try at home this weekendRekha to Kriti Sanon: Trending celebrity style highlights of the dayFrom Shah Rukh Khan’s ‘Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham’ to Salman Khan’s ‘Maine Pyar Kiya’: A look at classic Bollywood films through the modern lensWhy Sadhguru recommends having Beetroot and Cardamom Soup during winter eveningsHow to make Zero-Oil Soya Biryani at home123Hot PicksDelhi AQI TodayBihar Minister List 2025Bihar CM Oath CeremonyGold rate todaySilver rate todayPublic Holidays NovemberBank Holidays NovemberTop TrendingBest Rockstar Games to Play for GTA 6Savannah JamesWayne GretzkysTrevon DiggsDelhi School Suicide CaseKolkata EarthquakeCandace OwensGavin BrindleySophie CunninghamMLB Trade Rumors
NEW DELHI: SC on Friday agreed to hear Supreme Court Women Lawyers Association’s plea to make Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act applicable to sexual harassment complaints against advocates. It issued a notice of appeal against a Bombay high court judgment holding that the Act was not applicable to advocates.A bench of Justices B V Nagarathna and R Mahadevan issued notice on the petition and tagged it along with a similar petition filed earlier. The association said the HC judgment was against the principles laid down by the apex court, which had directed every professional body must have an internal complaints committee.Senior advocate Mahalakshmi Pavani, appearing for the petitioner, said the HC judgment left women in the profession without remedies and no permanent grievance redress committee. She argued that the HC had adopted a narrow interpretation by holding that the POSH Act did not apply in the absence of an employer-employee relationship, and had ignored that the Act was a special law meant to ensure a safe and dignified workplace for women.The HC had ruled that the POSH Act did not apply to complaints by female advocate members of the Bar Council of India or the Bar Council of Maharashtra and Goa, saying the Act applied only where there was an employer-employee relationship, and that Bar Councils could not be considered employers of advocates.
