Supreme Court Revamps Gender Sensitisation Committee, Retains Justice Nagarathna as Chair

The Supreme Court has reconstituted its Gender Sensitisation and Internal Complaints Committee (GSICC) , reaffirming its commitment to ensuring a safe, inclusive and gender-sensitive environment within the country's highest court.

An office order issued on June 15 said the committee has been reconstituted under Clause 4(2) of the Gender Sensitisation and Sexual Harassment of Women at the Supreme Court of India (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Regulations, 2013 . The regulations empower the Chief Justice of India to periodically reconstitute the panel responsible for addressing complaints of sexual harassment within the Supreme Court precincts and promoting gender awareness.

Justice B V Nagarathna will continue as the chairperson of the 12-member body , while Justice Nongmeikapam Kotiswar Singh serves as the judicial member. Registrar (Judicial) Kaveri has been appointed member secretary. The panel also includes senior advocates Menaka Guruswamy and Liz Mathew, advocates Nina Gupta, Soumyajit Pani, Sakshi Banga, Prabha Swami and Maheravish Rein, along with Sushma Rawat, representing the Supreme Court Bar Clerks Association , and Sneh Sharma, founder of Vividhta Consulting .

Compared with previous committees, the latest reconstitution brings in some new members while retaining several experienced representatives from the Supreme Court Bar Association. Reports indicate that Liz Mathew, Maheravish Rein and Sneh Sharma are among the notable additions, while Prabha Swami has replaced Advocate-on-Record representative Anindita Pujari. Sushma Rawat has also taken over the Bar Clerks Association slot.

The GSICC plays a dual role: conducting gender-sensitisation initiatives and handling complaints related to sexual harassment. Under the 2013 regulations, the committee is required to have a majority of women members and functions as an institutional mechanism for prevention, prohibition and redressal of workplace harassment within the Supreme Court. The committee also organises awareness programmes and makes recommendations to improve safety and gender equity in the court system.