Maharashtra Women's Commission Orders Statewide PoSH Act Audit Within 30 Days, Warns of Strict Action for Non-Compliance

Mumbai: Maharashtra State Commission for Women Chairperson Rupali Chakankar has directed all divisional commissioners and district collectors to conduct a special audit within 30 days to verify effective implementation of the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013, commonly known as the PoSH Act, across government, semi-government and private establishments in the state.

Internal Committees Must Be Constituted Immediately Where Absent, Warns Commission

The move aims to ensure that Internal Committees (ICs), mandated under the PoSH Act, are properly constituted and functioning in every workplace. Authorities have been instructed to immediately establish such committees wherever they are absent, failing which strict action may be initiated against the concerned officials and institutions.

According to the Commission, the audit has been necessitated following complaints received, review reports and observations made during statewide visits, which revealed serious shortcomings in compliance. In several offices, Internal Committees were either not formed or existed only on paper without active functioning. Lack of training for committee members, non-submission of annual reports and absence of mandatory awareness display boards were also among the deficiencies noted.

Comprehensive Audit Report to Cover Complaints

Under the audit exercise, every office will be required to prepare a detailed Internal Committee Audit Report covering the constitution of the committee, establishment orders, number of complaints received and pending, action taken reports, implementation of decisions, annual reporting compliance and awareness initiatives undertaken at workplaces.

Officials have also been instructed to immediately rectify deficiencies by constituting or strengthening committees wherever required. Legal action has been proposed in cases where violations of the PoSH Act are identified.

All divisional commissioners and district collectors have been directed to complete the verification process and submit compliance reports to the Maharashtra State Commission for Women within the stipulated 30-day period.

Chakankar said the Commission had earlier urged the state government to make PoSH audits mandatory across offices, following which the government issued a resolution on August 22, 2025. The initiative aims to ensure that the growing workforce of women across Maharashtra is provided a safe, secure and supportive working environment.

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