NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday termed the plea for job security for members of Internal Complaints Committees (ICC) in private sector companies dealing with workplace sexual harassment as “important” and asked the Solicitor General of India for assistance.A bench of Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh took note that despite issuing a notice to the Central government, no one had appeared, nor had a reply been filed.“This is an important issue that we want to examine,” the bench stated. “Please serve a copy to the Solicitor General. If no one appears at the next hearing, we will appoint an amicus curiae,” the bench told the petitioner’s counsel.The petitioners in the case are Janaki Chaudhry, a former member of an internal complaints committee, and former journalist Olga Tellis. The bench has scheduled the next hearing for next week.The Supreme Court had agreed to look into the plea and issued a notice to the Ministry of Women and Child Development on December 6.The Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeks job security and protection from retaliation for members of Internal Complaint Committees set up under the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition, and Redressal) Act, 2013 in private companies.
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