UGC asks universities to conduct special drive to review pending sexual harassment cases

NEW DELHI: The University Grants Commission (UGC) has asked universities to conduct special drive to review pending sexual harassment cases and take appropriate action before December 9, 2022.

“I write this to request you to kindly conduct special drive to review the pending cases if any and take appropriate action before December 9, 2022. The details of programme, activities conducted your institutions may be provided to gender sensitization division of UGC at ugc.iccgs@gmail.com by December 11, 2022 (in soft copy - both in PDF and MS word format),” read UGC notice.

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UGC said that the ministry of education has decided to ensure that a special drive be conducted in all educational institutions on the following activities:

• To conduct sensitization workshops for their employees to make them aware about the provisions of the sexual harassment act.
• To observe November 25 as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.
• To observe Discrimination against Women Pakhwada from November 25 to December 10, 2022.
• Internal complaints committee to conduct a special drive to review the pending cases and take appropriate action before December 9.

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UGC has notified the Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal of sexual harassment of women employees and students in higher educational institutions regulations, 2015 on the official website – ugc.ac.in.

“The regulations describe responsibilities of higher educational institutions, grievance redressal mechanism, process for making complaint and conducting inquiry interim redressal, punishment and compensation, consequences of non-compliance etc. UGC regulations being statutory in nature are binding for universities and colleges,” UGC notice further said.