What is an Internal Committee (IC) under POSH?

Who sits on the Internal Committee

The Act sets the composition. The presiding officer is a woman employed at a senior level. At least two members come from among employees, preferably people committed to the cause of women or with experience in social work or legal knowledge. One external member comes from a non-governmental organization or association committed to the cause of women, or is a person familiar with issues relating to sexual harassment. At least half of the members must be women. Employers with offices in several places set up a committee for each office or unit.

What the committee does

The Act sets time limits for filing a complaint and for completing each stage, and the committee should know and follow them strictly. Members need training in how to run an inquiry, since procedural lapses can undo an otherwise sound finding.

Receives written complaints and helps a complainant put hers in writing
Tries conciliation if the complainant asks, never on the basis of money
Inquires into complaints, hearing both sides and witnesses fairly
Can recommend interim relief, such as a transfer or leave, during an inquiry
Recommends action to the employer when a complaint is proved
Keeps proceedings and identities confidential and prepares an annual report

Setting it up well

Choose members people trust, including someone from the shop floor or branch staff if many women work there, not only head-office managers. Display the committee's names and contact details at every location, and put them in the induction pack and the employee handbook. Replace members who leave promptly, so the committee is never short when a complaint arrives. Record the constitution in a written office order signed by the employer. HR can publish the committee's details as an announcement on ZeniaHR's Company Wall that every employee must acknowledge.

Example: A 250-employee pharma distributor has offices in Indore and Bhopal, so it constituted an Internal Committee at each. The Indore committee has Assistant General Manager Sushma Iyer as presiding officer, two employees from accounts and the warehouse, one woman and one man, and an external member from a local women's rights NGO. When a member of the Bhopal committee resigned in May 2026, HR issued a revised office order within a week and displayed the new list.

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Frequently asked questions

Who can be the presiding officer of an Internal Committee?

The presiding officer must be a woman employed at a senior level in the organization. If no senior woman is available at that office, the Act allows one to be nominated from another office or unit of the same employer. She should be someone employees trust and who can run a fair inquiry.

What is the difference between ICC and IC?

They refer to the same body. The 2013 Act's text uses the name Internal Complaints Committee, and Internal Committee is the shorter name now widely used. Whatever your policy calls it, the role is the same: to receive and inquire into sexual harassment complaints at a workplace with 10 or more employees.

Can a man be a member of the Internal Committee?

Yes. The Act requires that at least half of the members are women and that the presiding officer is a senior woman employee, but other seats can be held by men. Including a respected male member can help, provided the committee as a whole has the trust of women employees.