Internal Complaints Committees, statutory case timelines, NDMA school safety requirements and hazard-mitigation essentials.
★ Weightage: 2 Questions
Four Compliance Areas
Concept 01
Constitution of the Internal Complaints Committee (ICC)
Core principle/rule: Every workplace—including a school—with 10 or more employees must constitute an Internal Complaints Committee to receive and redress complaints of sexual harassment.
Key facts
Presiding Officer: Must strictly be a senior-level woman employee at the workplace.
Internal members: At least two employees, preferably committed to the cause of women or experienced in social work or legal knowledge.
External member: At least one member appointed from an NGO or association committed to the cause of women, or a person familiar with sexual-harassment issues.
Gender quota: At least one-half—50%—of all ICC members nominated must be women.
Concept 02
POSH Statutory Timelines and Conciliation
Core principle/rule: The Act enforces rigid timelines to prevent cases from drifting and allows conciliation before a formal inquiry, subject to strict financial prohibitions.
Key facts
Complaint timeline: File within 3 months of the incident; the ICC may extend this by another 3 months for recorded reasons.
Inquiry & report: The ICC must complete its inquiry within 90 days and submit its report to the employer within 10 days of completion.
Action by employer: The employer must act on the ICC recommendations within 60 days of receiving the report.
Conciliation rule: At the aggrieved woman's request, the ICC may attempt conciliation before inquiry; no monetary settlement may form the basis of conciliation.
Concept 03
NDMA School Safety Policy 2016 — Applicability & SDMP
Core principle/rule: The National Disaster Management Authority formulated the School Safety Policy to shift attention from post-disaster relief to proactive risk reduction. Following a 2017 Supreme Court order, these guidelines are statutory and mandatory.
Key facts
Applicability: Applies universally to all schools—government, aided and private/unaided institutions.
Accountability: School Management and the Principal are legally responsible for ensuring safety and may be held responsible for negligence.
SDMP: Every school must prepare a mandatory School Disaster Management Plan and update it annually.
Safety audits: The School Management Committee must conduct comprehensive audits—including fire, structural and food safety—on a quarterly basis.
Concept 04
Structural vs. Non-Structural Safety Frameworks
Core principle/rule: School safety requires mitigating both hazards in the building's core construction—structural—and hazards created by the placement of objects and operational logistics—non-structural.
Key facts
Vertical expansion: A school cannot add a new floor without a specific fitness certificate from a certified structural engineer.
Door design: Classroom doors must open outwards into open areas or corridors.
Non-structural mitigations: Secure heavy almirahs to walls, isolate hazardous laboratory materials, and keep corridors and staircases completely free of plant pots and barriers.
Quick Reference
POSH & Safety Compliance Numbers
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Statutory Parameter
Legal Requirement / Timeline
Administrative Authority
ICC Constitution Threshold
10 or more employees
Required for all branches/campuses independently.
ICC Women Quota
Minimum 50%
Presiding Officer must also be a senior woman.
Filing POSH Complaint
Within 3 months
Can be extended by 3 months by the ICC.
POSH Inquiry Completion
90 days
From the date of the formal complaint.
Implementation of Report
60 days
Employer must execute the ICC's recommended actions.