New Delhi: During a hearing in the Nashik sexual exploitation case, the NCW directed the Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) company to constitute separate Internal Committees to check sexual harassment at all its 127 units with 10 or more employees within four weeks.
The National Commission for Women (NCW) hearing, chaired by Commission chief Vijaya Rahatkar on Thursday, also directed the company to hold training programmes on Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition, and Redressal) Act (PoSH), 2013.
Fixing the next hearing after four weeks, the Commission told the company to ensure submission of annual POSH reports to authorities concerned and mandated the physical presence of officials during the next review proceeding, said a statement.
Rahatkar directed TCS to undertake immediate corrective measures to strengthen institutional safeguards and PoSH compliance mechanisms.
During the proceedings, the Commission reiterated that organisations must approach PoSH victims with compassion, sensitivity, and empathy, said an official statement.
The NCW emphasised that while criminal proceedings will continue independently in accordance with law, the Commission remains focused on ensuring effective implementation of the PoSH Act and strengthening workplace safety mechanisms for women.
The hearing was attended virtually by senior officials of TCS upon acceptance of a special request made before the Commission.
The proceedings were also attended by Additional Secretary, NCW, B. Radhika Chakravarthy, members of the Fact-Finding Committee constituted by NCW, and senior officials of the Commission.
During the hearing, the Commission raised serious concerns regarding systemic gaps in workplace safety and implementation of the PoSH Act at the Nashik unit, said the statement.
Issues discussed included the absence of accessible local HR infrastructure and grievance redressal mechanisms, lack of a dedicated Internal Committee for the Nashik office and absence of a proper mechanism for filing PoSH complaints.
The meeting also took note of non-functional CCTV infrastructure, concerns regarding supervisory accountability, and the continuation of a joint Internal Committee for both Pune and Nashik units despite statutory requirements under the PoSH Act.
During the meeting, the Commission also questioned why no senior official had visited the Nashik centre to directly interact with employees despite the seriousness of the concerns raised during the inquiry.
The TCS Nashik case is related to allegations of an organised racket involving alleged religious conversion and sexual exploitation of women employees at the company’s office.
The Nashik police have so far arrested at least seven accused including a process associate Nida Khan.
Several women employees at TCS Nashik alleged harassment against senior employees. They claimed they faced mental and sexual harassment between February 2022 and March 2026, while their complaints were allegedly ignored by the human resources department.
(IANS)
