Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: The Bombay High Court at Goa has directed the Directorate of Panchayats to carry out a detailed verification of staffing records across all village panchayats in the state after questions were raised over the implementation of workplace sexual harassment prevention rules.
The direction came after the Court found that the information submitted by the Director of Panchayats did not clearly establish which local bodies were required to have Internal Committees under the POSH Act, 2013, and which would come under the Local Committee mechanism.
The issue gained significance during the hearing when petitioner Sharlet Fernandes, who argued her case personally, challenged the reported staff strength of Majorda-Utorda Village Panchayat. She produced details indicating that the panchayat had at least 15 workers, including those hired on a contractual basis.
As per the POSH Act, workplaces with 10 or more employees must establish an Internal Committee to deal with complaints of sexual harassment. The Court noted that the staffing details presented by Fernandes, if verified, could indicate non-compliance by the Majorda-Utorda panchayat.
The Court also stressed that employee strength cannot be determined by counting only permanent staff. The law covers several categories of workers, including contractual personnel, daily-wage earners, temporary appointments and ad hoc employees working under the employer’s supervision.
As part of the exercise, the Director has been asked to examine official financial records, attendance registers and muster rolls maintained by every panchayat to establish the actual number of people employed.
The Directorate must also explain what arrangements have been made for panchayats with fewer than 10 employees, which fall under the Local Committee framework for addressing workplace harassment complaints.
The High Court has set November 30, 2026, as the deadline for filing a detailed compliance report. The matter will next come up for consideration on December 2, 2026.
