Press Release

We are pleased to inform you that Kochhar & Co. has recently pioneered a specialized Workplace Discrimination and Sexual Harassment practice.

Rapidly evolving harassment laws in India have cast several obligations on Indian employers. Such laws demand non-discriminatory practices to be followed in workplaces as well as increased sensitivity towards the rights of women workforce. Very few legal domains are as important as the identification, prevention and resolution of discrimination and harassment in the workplace. Yet, very little expertise or know-how is available to properly guide employers, senior management and human resource departments. With the launch of the Workplace Discrimination and Sexual Harassment practice desk, Kochhar & Co. has become the first law firm in India to recognize and address this requirement in a comprehensive and specialized manner.

The Supreme Court of India has imposed several obligations upon employers to prevent or deter the commission of acts of sexual harassment in the workplace including adoption and publication of workplace policies against sexual harassment and setting up complaint committee(s) within the organization to address complaints from women employees. Failure to abide by the Supreme Court's directions, which under the Constitution of India have the force of law, could result in serious adverse consequences for employers. The Supreme Court has even imposed exemplary costs upon an employer for not following the policy and procedures laid down in its judgment. Such policy and procedures have also been incorporated in various existing Central and State labour legislations and a specific legislation on prevention of sexual harassment of women at the workplace which is in the making.

In Kochhar & Co.'s Delhi and Gurgaon offices, which cater to the legal needs of Northern India, the Workplace Discrimination and Sexual Harassment practice desk is headed by Devika Singh who can be contacted at [email protected]. Devika's detailed experience profile is included in the attachment. In the south of India, this practice desk is headed by Shanthala Rao who is a partner in Kochhar & Co.'s Bangalore office and can be contacted at [email protected]. The expertise of Kochhar & Co. in this field therefore spans across the country.

The Workplace Discrimination and Sexual Harassment practice desk offers a very wide range of services which include, amongst other things, conducting gender audits, advising on legal compliances, drafting anti-harassment and discrimination workplace policies, setting up organizational complaint committees and providing litigation support to clients in various sectors. With full service offices in six major cities in India - Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, Gurgaon and Hyderabad, a branch office in Atlanta, Georgia, USA and a foreign law office in Singapore; the firm is well positioned to serve client interests in this practice domain.


For more enquiries, contact us at: [email protected]