Archive · 16 Sep 2025
Supreme Court Rejects Plea to Apply POSH Act to Political Parties
The Supreme Court has decided that political parties do not have to follow the same rules about preventing sexual harassment as regular workplaces.
Someone asked the court to make them follow these rules, but the court said no.
The court explained that people join political parties voluntarily, not as jobs, and making them follow these rules could be misused.
The court also said that applying the law in this way might cause problems, like opening a 'Pandora's Box' of issues.
This decision reinforces a previous stance and addresses a similar concern from a prior case.
The Supreme Court rejected a plea to include political parties under the POSH Act.
The court argued that this would lead to potential blackmail.
The case was an appeal against a 2022 Kerala High Court ruling.
The petitioner argued that only CPI(M) has an internal complaints committee.
The POSH Act aims to protect women from sexual harassment at workplaces.
- Who
- Supreme Court of India
- What
- Rejected a plea to bring political parties under the purview of the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act.
- When
- Tuesday
- Where
- Supreme Court
- Why
- The court stated that applying the act to political parties would lead to blackmail.
- Case
- Plea to bring political parties under POSH Act
- Court
- Supreme Court of India
- Act
- Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition, and Redressal) Act, 2013
- Ruling
- Rejected the plea
- Justification
- Would open a 'Pandora's Box' and lead to blackmail
- Petitioner's Argument
- Only CPI(M) has an internal complaints committee.