Build a workplace rooted in dignity and safety.

Yes. Under Section 4 of the PoSH Act, 2013, any organization with 10 or more employees must constitute an Internal Committee (IC) in writing. This applies to private companies, startups, and NGOs, not just large corporates.

An IC needs a minimum of 4 members: a woman Presiding Officer (senior-level employee), at least 2 employee members, and 1 external member from an NGO or with legal/social work experience. At least 50% of members must be women.

Failure to constitute an IC can attract a fine of up to ₹50,000, doubled for repeat violations, and possible cancellation of the business license. Courts have also invalidated harassment inquiries conducted by improperly constituted committees.

Every IC must submit an annual report to the District Officer under Section 21 and Rule 14, typically by January 31 for the preceding calendar year. It must cover complaints received, resolved, pending beyond 90 days, and training conducted.

The IC must complete its inquiry within 90 days from the date the complaint is received.

A written complaint must be submitted to the Internal Committee within 3 months of the incident. If the complainant cannot write it herself, the IC must provide reasonable assistance in preparing it. Compliance Cart lets employees log complaints directly through the platform, so nothing gets lost in email threads or manual paperwork, and the IC gets a timestamped record automatically.

Yes. Employers must conduct PoSH awareness and IC-member training regularly under the Act, though no fixed frequency is prescribed by law. Most compliance experts recommend at least once a year for all employees and separately for IC members.

No organization is exempt from the Act itself, but companies with fewer than 10 employees fall under the Local Complaints Committee (LCC) mechanism instead of forming their own IC.

Employers must retain the IC's complaint records, inquiry reports, training logs, and annual reports filed with the District Officer. These records are the primary evidence checked during a compliance audit or legal challenge. Compliance Cart keeps all of this in one repository, so audit-readiness is a matter of pulling a report rather than reconstructing files from scattered folders.

Setup includes constituting the IC, drafting the policy, and conducting initial training, typically 2 to 4 weeks manually. Compliance Cart compresses this to about a week by templating the IC formation order, policy documents, and training schedule, so new companies aren't stuck chasing paperwork before they're compliant.