Mumbai, March 22: The Bombay High Court has determined that comments made by a senior executive of HDFC Bank regarding a female colleague's hair do not constitute sexual harassment under the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 (POSH Act).

Justice Sandeep Marne, in a March 18 order, granted relief to Vinod Kachave, an associate regional manager. Kachave had challenged a July 2024 decision by the Pune industrial court that upheld the bank's Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) 's findings of misconduct. The ICC had found Kachave guilty of inappropriate behaviour, leading to his demotion to deputy regional manager. ‘Grabbing Breasts or Snapping Pyjama String Not Rape Attempt’ Order by Allahabad HC: Priyanka Chaturvedi Seeks Justice Ram Manohar Narayan Mishra’s Dismissal, Urges Supreme Court To Review Verdict.

The case stemmed from a 2022 training session where Kachave jokingly remarked to the complainant, who was adjusting her long hair, "You must be using a JCB to manage your hair," and sang a line from the song “Yeh Reshmi Zulfein.” The complainant later alleged that Kachave made an inappropriate remark about a male colleague's private parts in front of other women.

The High Court criticised the ICC's findings as "perverse," saying that even if the allegations were accepted as true, they did not amount to sexual harassment. The court noted that the complainant did not initially perceive the comments as harassment and highlighted that the complaint was filed only after she resigned. Cash Discovery Row: Supreme Court Collegium Starts Initial Inquiry Against Delhi High Court Judge Justice Yashwant Varma.

Justice Marne concluded that the ICC's report lacked a thorough analysis and dismissed both the ICC's findings and the industrial court's ruling, underlining that the alleged conduct did not meet the criteria for sexual harassment under the POSH Act.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 22, 2025 10:00 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).