UGC Orders Universities to Strengthen POSH Committees – What Students & Staff Must Know (2025 Update)

The communication issued on November 13, 2025, comes out from the initiative taken by the National Commission for Women (NCW), which drew attention to the continuing gaps in compliance with POSH act in higher educational institutions. It is not a mere reminder by UGC; it commands action thereon:

• Mandatory Status Reporting: Universities must submit an updated status report for the 2024-25 academic year concerning the implementation of their POSH. The report covers the composition and functioning of their ICC, the awareness campaigns, the complaints handling machinery, and the challenges faced. This submission will be made through the UGC SAKSHAM Portal. 
• Active Participation in NCW Programmes: HEIs shall ensure that both faculty and staff actively participate in NCW's 'Campus Calling Programme', which is a national programme meant for legal literacy, digital safety, and gender-sensitive training broadly across the academic community. 
• Strengthened Monitoring: The universities must allow ICCs to be fully functional, sensitized, and operationally credible in their support to survivors and redressal on equitable terms. The focus must be on moving beyond mere statutory formation to strong, proactive functioning.

Every HEI having 10 and more employees (including students, in case of a student complaint) must provide for the constitution of an Internal Complaints Committee, which is the most important means of redressal, as defined under the POSH Act 2013, since a university campus is defined to be a "workplace."

Structure of the ICC (Internal Complaints Committee)

In simple terms, the ICC should have a specific composition as per the UGC harassment policy and the POSH Act, in order to be compliant:

• Presiding Officer: Woman at senior employee level
• Employee Members: At least two employees (faculty or non-teaching) committed to cause of women
• External Member: One member from an NGO/association well-versed in issues of sexual harassment
• Student Representatives: Maximum of three students (at least one girl) from pre-final or final year and mandatory if the complaint has students as respondents.
• Special Requirement: Not less than 50% of the ICC members should be female.

Core Functions of the ICC

The ICC has the following functions:

• Redressal: To receive and investigate complaints of sexual harassment made by any woman (student, faculty, or staff).
• Inquiry: To conduct a fair and confidential inquiry (time-limited within 90 days) into each complaint.
• Conciliation: To settle complaints not by money, but with the consent of the complainant through conciliation.
• Prevention: To conduct awareness and sensitisation workshops on a regular basis for all members of the campus community.
• Reporting: To submit to the UGC an Annual Report concerning the number of cases and their disposal.

As per the POSH Act and the UGC Harassment policy for colleges, defines the term harassment in the following manner:

• Unwanted physical contact
• Demands or requests for sexual favours
• Displaying pornography
• Sexually tinted remarks
• Offensive comments
• Online sexual harassment
• Misuse of power in trading for grades, placements or recommendations
• Creating a hostile environment by words, acts or digital behaviour 

Both the students and the staff are protected from this.

1. A complaint should, however, be made within three months from the date of the incident.
2. Complaints must be sent to the ICC either by mail or in person.
3. The exact date, time, and place of the alleged incident, as well as the names of the persons involved and the complainant, must be mentioned.
4. Within 7 days of receiving a complaint, the ICC will acknowledge it.
5. An inquiry that would begin and conclude in a span of 90 days would be initiated.
6. The final decision will have to be submitted to the institution within 10 days from that day.
7. The institution is then required to comply with the order within 60 days.

The procedure is intended to protect the confidentiality of all parties at each step of the process.

UGC internal complaints committee bylaws carry legal weight. Any non-compliance with the POSH Act or UGC POSH guidelines 2025 could bring severe penalties ruining the reputation and functioning of the university: 

• Financial Penalties: Violating this regulation may impose a fine of up to ₹50,000 upon HEIs. 
• Withdrawal of Grants: Grants for these institutions can be suspended due to noncompliance by UGC. 
• Damage to Reputation: A case of harassment not being dealt with fairly, or did not have a properly constituted ICC, could severely drag the institution's public image and accreditation status down.

Several universities present in the list of UGC approved universities which are proactive with respect to the implementation of the spirit of UGC in terms of a women-friendly campus culture.

LPU University (Lovely Professional University)

All these educational degrees in engineering, management, computer applications, and law are offered at the LPU. The university takes special interest in creating a safe and multicultural environment for its students. It constantly nurtures its students. They conduct programs for the development of staff on gender equality and prevention of sexual harassment, thus displaying their commitment to zero tolerance toward such concepts and working toward a safe and supportive culture.

Shoolini University

Shoolini University in Himachal Pradesh provides programs in Biotechnology, Pharmacy, Management, and Liberal Arts. The University has emphasized that it promotes accessibility and women participation through various means, including awarding Scholarships to women students and establishing a Sexual Harassment Committee to work alongside the Student Counseling Cell to ensure a safe and inclusive environment.

Amity University

With multiple programs on offer in Engineering, Management, Law, and Health Sciences, situated at a highly secured campus with modern surveillance systems, Amity University supports the smooth functioning of its Gender Cell. The cell organizes multiple awareness programs and training workshops on the POSH Act while providing Crèche facilities for staff with small children, thus walking the talk in supporting its women employees.

Compliance with the rules of the UGC internal complaints committee is a shared responsibility.

For Students

• Educate Yourself about the ICC: Get acquainted with the names and contact numbers of ICC members and how to drop a physical complaint or submit it digitally. This information should also be on a display board.
• Participate in Awareness Programs: These are mandatory awareness programs that define sexual harassment, what the reporting mechanism is, and the basic principles around gender sensitivity. 
• Zero Tolerance: It is important to understand that sexual harassment encompasses any unwelcome physical contact, or any demand or request for sexual favors. The definitions also include sexually colored remarks or the display of pornography. All such conduct must be reported immediately.

For Faculty and Staff

• Training & Sensitization: Regular training on POSH Act is mandatory for faculty and non-teaching staff to sensitively handle any complaints that may arise with utmost confidentiality and due process.
• Transparent Processes: The institution must maintain strict confidentiality during the inquiry process; however, all procedures are overall transparent and are resolved within a set time.
• Accountability: Non-compliance including failure of setting-up a committee, inquiry as per law may lead the institution to face severe penalties like withdrawal of grants and de-recognition.