Delhi High Court Pulls Up Centre For Revealing POSH Survivor's Identity
· India · Hindustan Times, Times of India
The Delhi High Court criticized the central government on Tuesday for disclosing the identity of a workplace sexual harassment survivor in an official Ministry of Women and Child Development POSH handbook. Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma emphasized that even the government must follow laws prohibiting the revelation of a survivor's identity, which is a punishable offense. The court was hearing a petition from the alleged perpetrator, who sought to have his name removed from the handbook after the matter was settled. The Centre's counsel stated that the handbook was published in November 2015 for educational purposes and that the parties recently settled. The court responded that a survivor's identity cannot be revealed for educational purposes or even in judicial judgments, regardless of any subsequent settlement. The matter is listed for the next hearing on Wednesday, with the court directing the government lawyer to identify the officials responsible for the content.
Why it matters
This ruling reinforces strict judicial protections for the identity of sexual harassment survivors, establishing that government bodies are not exempt from privacy laws regardless of when a private dispute is settled.
Read the original report — Hindustan Times
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