Bombay High Court Clears Bank Executive of Sexual Harassment Allegations

The Bombay High Court ruled that singing a song about a female colleague's hair doesn't constitute workplace sexual harassment, clearing a senior bank executive. The court found the bank's internal review and industrial court's conclusions flawed, lacking sufficient proof of sexual harassment under the POSH Act.

The Bombay High Court has ruled that singing a song about a fellow employee's hair does not constitute sexual harassment, granting respite to a senior executive at a private bank. This decision was handed down by Justice Sandeep Marne, who insisted that the allegations lacked the substance required for a definitive judgment of harassment.

The executive, Vinod Kachave, an associate regional manager at HDFC Bank in Pune, had contested a July 2024 ruling by an industrial court. The court had dismissed his appeal against a damning internal report condemning him under the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013. In light of these findings, Kachave was demoted.

However, the High Court overturned these decisions, citing the lack of concrete evidence tying his actions to sexual harassment. Kachave's comments about a female colleague's hair and an additional comment made in the absence of the complainant were deemed insufficient cause for allegations under the POSH Act.

(With inputs from agencies.)