Internal Committees

The Indian council of medical research - National institute of Immunohematology (ICMR-NIIH) has established an Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) to address complaints of sexual harassment of women employees, in accordance with the directives of the National Commission for Women and the guidelines derived from the Supreme Court Judgment dated 13th August, 1997, known as the Visakha judgment. This judgment laid down guidelines for preventing and addressing sexual harassment of women in the workplace.

The Complaint Committee was initially constituted to address complaints of sexual harassment, and its composition was revised as necessary due to transfers or changes in leadership or members. On 7th August, 2023, the Complaint Committee at ICMR-NIIH was reconstituted to continue addressing complaints of sexual harassment of women employees.

An ICC is responsible for receiving and investigating complaints of sexual harassment, ensuring a fair and confidential process, recommending appropriate action, and creating awareness about the issue of sexual harassment within the organization. The following information provides details pertaining to the Act, rules, as well as the roles and functions of the Internal Complaints Committee (ICC).

Complaints of sexual harassment against women can be submitted in either paper form or by sending an to iccniih[at]gmail[dot]com. According to the Act, an aggrieved woman has the option to file a written complaint of sexual harassment in the workplace with either the ICC or the LCC (if the complaint is against the employer). This complaint must be filed within a period of three months from the date of the incident.

In cases involving a series of incidents, the complaint should be filed within three months from the date of the last incident. As per the rules outlined in the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition, and Redressal) Rules, 2013, if the aggrieved woman is physically unable to make a complaint, it can be submitted by a relative, friend, co-worker, an officer of the National Commission for Women, State Women's Commission, or any person who is aware of the incident. However, this must be done with the written consent of the aggrieved woman.

The Ministry of Women & Child Development introduced an online complaint management system known as the Sexual Harassment electronic-Box (She-Box) on July 24, 2017. This platform was established to facilitate the registration of complaints related to sexual harassment in the workplace. She-Box serves as an initiative to offer a channel for women who work in or visit any office of the Central Government, including Central Ministries, Departments, Public Sector Undertakings, Autonomous Bodies, and Institutions, to report incidents of sexual harassment under the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition, and Redressal) Act, 2013.

After a complaint is lodged through She-Box, it is promptly forwarded to the appropriate Internal Complaint Committee (ICC) within the relevant Ministry, Department, Public Sector Undertaking (PSU), Autonomous Body, etc., which holds the authority to conduct an inquiry into the complaint. Additionally, She-Box offers a feature that enables both the complainant and the designated nodal administrative authority to track and oversee the progress of the investigation conducted by the ICCs.

Composition of Internal Complaint Committee -Women(ICMR-NIIH's ICC-SHW)