Sexual harassment at workplace: DTC staffers to be put on trial

Friday, 3 July 2015  New Delhi | (Agency PTI) : A senior woman officer of DTC would face trial before a Delhi court for allegedly threatening a female staffer for complaining against an accountant of sexual harrassment. Metropolitan Magistrate Ekta Gauba ordered framing of charges against the male employee, an accountant who has now retired, and the woman officer who was the Manager of Shadipur Depot of the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) when the alleged incident took place.The court said the charge sheet of the police prima facie showed that on August 23, 2011, the accused accountant had wrongfully restrained the female staffer when she went to mark her attendance, "misbehaved indecently" with her and "uttered words insulting her modesty".
According to the victim, when she complained about the man to the woman officer, she not only refused to take action but also tried to shield him and threatened to get her killed.
The court said "prima facie case under sections 341 (wrongful restraint), 354 (molestation) and 509 (word, gesture intended to insult the modesty of a woman) of the IPC are made out" against the man. It said the charge sheet and the victim's complaint prima facie showed that both the accused had threatened to kill the complainant



and added that the alleged offence of criminal intimidation is made against the two. The court fixed July 14 for formally framing of charges against the accused persons.The complainant also said she had approached the police but no action was taken on her complaint, following which she moved the court which ordered registration of FIR. Thereafter, an FIR was lodged a Patel Nagar Police Station against the two employees of the DTC.During arguments on framing of charges, the woman officer claimed that no offence was made out against her, while the man claimed he was incapable to perform sexual activities as he was handicapped and had undergone knee replacement surgery.The accountant and the woman officer defended themselves saying they have been falsely implicated by the victim who was a regular latecomer and as per the findings of DTC's sexual harassment committee, the allegations were found to be false.The court, however, said all the defence taken by the accused could not be considered at the stage of framing of charge but only during the trial.The prosecutor submitted that the victim had remained consistent throughout and she was harassed to such an extent by the department that she was compelled to quit her job. Later, she had withdrawn her resignation.