"Women wrestlers' harassment case exposes conditional nature of female empowerment in India"
POSH Act, 2013
law mandating workplace sexual harassment redressal committees in India
Vishaka Guidelines
Supreme Court's 1997 directions on workplace sexual harassment, precursor to POSH Act
India's relationship with women's empowerment has long been characterised by a fundamental tension: the state and society celebrate women's achievements when they yield economic or symbolic returns, yet institutional structures frequently fail to protect women when they challenge entrenched power. As the NCERT's political theory framework notes, equality requires not merely formal legal parity but active state intervention to prevent discrimination and harassment — a standard that Indian institutions have inconsistently met. Gender, as social science recognises, is socially constructed, with roles passed across generations; deviation from expected norms is often treated as defiance rather than rights-assertion.
The legal architecture for addressing sexual harassment in India rests primarily on the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 — commonly called the POSH Act — which mandates Internal Complaints Committees (ICCs) in organisations with ten or more employees, and Local Complaints Committees (LCCs) for the unorganised sector. The Act emerged from the Vishaka Guidelines (1997), laid down by the Supreme Court following a landmark case involving a social worker in Rajasthan. Despite this framework, enforcement has remained weak, particularly in sports federations and other male-dominated institutional hierarchies.
The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) episode — in which elite women wrestlers publicly alleged sexual harassment by the then federation chief, leading to a prolonged protest, police action against the athletes, and ultimately an acquittal by a Delhi court — crystallises a systemic pattern: institutions close ranks to protect those in authority, and the burden of proof falls disproportionately on survivors.
Sexual harassment in institutional settings is structurally distinct from harassment between social equals. It almost always involves an abuse of authority — where the accused controls career opportunities, selection, funding, or recognition of the complainant. This power asymmetry explains why survivors often delay reporting, continue working under the accused, or initially remain silent — behaviours that are then weaponised against them in legal proceedings as evidence of consent or fabrication. The Supreme Court has repeatedly cautioned courts against this reasoning, yet the burden of proof continues to rest disproportionately on women.
The POSH Act was designed to address precisely this asymmetry by creating institutional mechanisms that do not require a criminal standard of proof. However, sports federations — which are autonomous bodies registered under the Sports (Development and Regulation) Act framework and governed partly by international bodies — occupy a grey zone in POSH compliance. …
One of the implications of equality in society is the absence of
Which of the following gives 'Global Gender Gap Index' ranking to the countries of the world?
Consider the following pairs with regard to sports awards:
1.Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award : For the most spectacular and outstanding performance by a sportsperson over period of last four years
2.Arjuna Award : For the lifetime achievement by a sportsperson
3.Dronacharya Award : To honour eminent coaches who have successfully trained sportspersons or teams
4.Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puraskar : To recognize the contribution made by sportspersons even after their retirement
How many of the above pairs are correctly matched?
With reference to the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013, consider the following statements:
1.It mandates the constitution of an Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) in every organisation with ten or more employees.
2.It applies only to the organised sector and excludes domestic workers.
3.It was enacted following the Supreme Court's Vishaka Guidelines of 1997.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Assertion (A): The burden of proof in sexual harassment cases in India continues to rest disproportionately on the survivor.
Reason (R): The POSH Act, 2013 requires the same standard of proof as a criminal trial under the Indian Penal Code.
Which of the following is correct?
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