The Vishakha Guidelines were formulated by the Supreme Court of India in 1997 in response to a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) petition. These guidelines are considered a landmark judgment as they addressed sexual harassment at the workplace for the first time in India.

Here’s a summary of the Vishakha Guidelines for UPSC aspirants:

• Duty to Prevent: The guidelines make it the employer’s responsibility to prevent sexual harassment at the workplace.
• Definition of Sexual Harassment: Sexual harassment includes any unwelcome sexual advances, physical contact or advances, demands or requests for sexual favors, showing pornography, or any other unwelcome behavior of a sexual nature.
• Complaint Committee: The guidelines mandate the establishment of a Complaint Committee at every workplace to investigate complaints of sexual harassment. The committee should be headed by a woman and have at least half of its members as women.
• Confidentiality: The guidelines ensure confidentiality for both the complainant and the respondent during the investigation process. These guidelines paved the way for the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013, which provides a more robust legal framework for addressing sexual harassment at work.