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NHRC for amending Advocates Act to deal with sexual harassment

By Our Legal Correspondent

NEW DELHI Jan. 1. The National Human Rights Commission has underlined the need for amending the Advocates Act to provide for a mechanism to deal with complaints of "sexual harassment'' in the legal profession.

The Commission has suggested that till such time the Act is amended, the Bar Council of India and the State Bar Councils could set up a disciplinary committee to deal with cases of sexual harassment and accordingly co-opt an active senior woman advocate as Chairperson of the committee.

The NHRC's initiative is a sequel to the Supreme Court judgment in the Vishaka vs State of Rajasthan case prescribing guidelines to prevent sexual harassment in work places.

Further, the Commission also received a complaint about the suicide of a woman lawyer in Andhra Pradesh, allegedly due to sexual harassment by some fellow and senior lawyers.

Complaints were also received from NGOs that the guidelines prescribed by the apex court were not being followed by many government departments/universities/educational institutions in the public and private sectors and professional bodies.

The Commission, after considering all the factors, has said that the disciplinary committee will be an effective mechanism and act as a deterrent against those who attempt to sexually harass women.

It was of the view that if the apex court guidelines were to be implemented in letter and in spirit, the judiciary at all levels needed to be included in its purview since the courts were also a workplace for women.

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