We are pleased to share the June 2026 edition of our POSH Act (Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act, 2013) Newsletter, bringing to our readers updates and insights with the objective of keeping them abreast with the latest legal developments.

Bar Council of India Issues POSH Compliance Guidelines for the Legal Profession

In a significant step towards strengthening workplace safety within the legal profession, the Bar Council of India (“BCI”) issued comprehensive POSH Compliance Guidelines on March 3, 2026, mandating the adoption of mechanisms compliant with POSH Act across Bar Associations, Law Offices, State Bar Councils and the BCI itself. The initiative follows the Bombay High Court’s ruling in UNS Women Legal Association v. Bar Council of India[3], which held that the POSH Act does not apply to complaints by women advocates against other advocates, for want of an employer-employee relationship, and extends only to the Bar Councils’ own employees.

The Supreme Court Women Lawyers Association has challenged the judgment before the Supreme Court, and the BCI’s guidelines seek to bridge the gap in the interim by creating uniform institutional safeguards for women in the profession. The guidelines set out a framework spanning awareness and training, Internal Committees complaint and redressal mechanisms, support and counselling, and monitoring and reporting.

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