An RTI query has revealed that the Central Information Commission has so far not put in place a mechanism to deal with sexual harassment cases, a measure that was mandated by Supreme Court.
According to a reply furnished to an RTI application, CIC has admitted that it doesn’t yet have a committee to deal with complaints of sexual harassment. The answer was given in response to an RTI query filed by Gloria Kumar, former regional passport officer of Delhi, who has levelled allegations of ‘‘gender bias and perverted overtones’’.
Kumar in her RTI had sought the status report of her complaint lodged with the commission alleging she was subjected to harassment by an information commissioner and had to face ‘‘sexually coloured remarks’’, forcing her to report this behaviour to the Chief information Commissioner. Her RTI also demanded to know if any sexual harassment committee had been formed by CIC to look into her grievances, and if yes, what was the conclusion of the report.
The CIC, in its reply sent in June this year, informed Kumar that her complaint was being examined by the Chief Information Commissioner Wajahat Habibullah who has decided to hear her case himself. Though conceding that no committee as such had been formed to deal with cases of sexual harassment within CIC, the commission’s reply assured Kumar that her case will be heard and disposed of soon.
With thanks from The Times of India 1 August 2008 P. 6 Delhi
With thanks from The Times of India 1 August 2008 P. 6 Delhi
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1 comment:
this is agood example of using RTI for impementation of law, hope many other follow this example
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