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POSH Complaint Form

A complaint form for the Internal Committee under the 2013 Act, stating the three-month time limit, the right to help in writing it, the conciliation option and the interim relief that can be requested.

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Still to fill, shown as [square brackets] below: Company name

[COMPANY NAME]
COMPLAINT OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT AT THE WORKPLACE

============================================================

Submitted to the Internal Committee constituted under the Sexual Harassment of
Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013.

Before you begin. A complaint should be made within three months of the incident,
or of the last incident in a series. The committee may extend that by a further
three months where circumstances prevented an earlier complaint. If you would like
help writing this complaint, you are entitled to ask for it.

Everything in this form is confidential. The Act prohibits publication or
disclosure of the complainant's identity, the respondent's identity, the contents,
the proceedings and the recommendations, except as it permits.

1. COMPLAINANT
Name:               [Name]
Employee number:    [Employee number]
Designation:        [Designation]
Department:         [Department]
Contact number:     [Phone]
Email:              [Email]

If this complaint is being made on the complainant's behalf, state by whom and
attach her written consent:

2. RESPONDENT
Name:               [Name]
Designation:        [Designation]
Department:         [Department]
Relationship to you (manager, colleague, client, vendor, other):

3. THE INCIDENT OR INCIDENTS
Describe what happened, in your own words. Include the date, time and place of
each incident, and what was said or done. Use additional sheets if you need to.

4. WITNESSES
Anyone who saw or heard what happened, or whom you told about it afterwards.

   Name                          Designation              How they know
   ------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                     
                                                                     
                                                                     

5. DOCUMENTS
List anything you are attaching — messages, emails, photographs, notes made at the
time.

6. WHAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO HAPPEN

7. CONCILIATION
The Act allows the committee, at your request and before an inquiry begins, to try
to settle the matter through conciliation. No monetary settlement may be made the
basis of a conciliation.

   [ ] I would like the committee to attempt conciliation
   [ ] I would like the committee to proceed to an inquiry

8. INTERIM RELIEF
During an inquiry the committee may recommend interim measures — transferring
either party, granting you leave of up to three months in addition to your
entitlement, or restraining the respondent from reporting on your work. Say here if
you would like to request any of these.

DECLARATION
The information given above is true to the best of my knowledge and belief.

Signature: [Signature]          Date: [Date]

------------------------------------------------------------
FOR COMMITTEE USE
Received on: ____________    Complaint number: ____________
Received by: ____________    Inquiry to be completed by: ____________ (90 days)
Copy of the complaint provided to the respondent on: ____________

The POSH process is statutory. Follow the Act and the rules rather than an internal adaptation of them, and take advice where the facts are serious.

The form tells the complainant what she is entitled to before it asks her anything: the time limit and how it can be extended, the right to assistance in writing the complaint, the conciliation option, and the interim relief the committee can recommend during an inquiry.

Those are statutory entitlements, and a form that omits them leaves them to be discovered by someone who is unlikely to be in a position to research them.

Frequently asked questions

What is the time limit for a POSH complaint?
Three months from the incident, or from the last incident in a series. The Internal Committee may extend it by a further three months where it is satisfied that circumstances prevented an earlier complaint.
Can someone else file a POSH complaint on a woman's behalf?
Yes, where she is unable to do so herself, by a person specified in the rules and with her written consent. The rules also cover situations of physical or mental incapacity and death.
What interim relief can be requested during a POSH inquiry?
The committee may recommend transferring either party, granting the complainant leave of up to three months over and above her entitlement, or restraining the respondent from reporting on her work.
What happens if a POSH complaint is not proved?
Nothing, as far as the complainant is concerned. A complaint that cannot be substantiated is not a false complaint, and the Act permits action only for a complaint that is malicious or supported by knowingly false evidence.

About this tool

Built by the ViniOffice team. Figures and rules last reviewed 22 September 2026 against the statutory reference this team maintains. Indian statutory rates are date-effective and change by notification — confirm against the current one before running payroll or filing. The POSH process is statutory. Follow the Act and the rules rather than an internal adaptation of them, and take advice where the facts are serious.

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