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4d ago

Supreme Court Upholds Time Bar in WBNUJS Harassment Case, Orders Judgment Added to VC’s Resume

Invoking POSH Act deadlines, the bench halted further inquiry, requiring a permanent disclosure as a reputational check.

The Supreme Court noted the appellant had lodged a formal complaint in December 2023 with the LCC alleging sexual harassment by the VC.
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Overview

  • A Supreme Court bench of Justices Pankaj Mithal and P. B. Varale on Friday dismissed the faculty member’s plea as time-barred under the POSH Act.
  • The Local Complaint Committee had found the last alleged incident occurred in April 2023 and the complaint filed on December 26, 2023 exceeded the three‑month limit and even the extendable six‑month window under Section 9.
  • While agreeing with a December 2024 Calcutta High Court division bench that reversed an earlier single-judge revival, the Supreme Court said later administrative actions did not extend the limitation period.
  • In a novel direction, the court ordered Vice‑Chancellor Nirmal Kanti Chakrabarti to permanently include the judgment recording the allegations in his resume, with compliance to be ensured by him personally.
  • The judgment records the complainant’s allegations of unwelcome advances, sexual demands and career threats since 2019, which the court did not adjudicate on merits due to statutory limitation.