Bombay High Court clears banker of harassment allegations

The Bombay High Court has cleared a banker of charges related to sexual harassment. On March 18, Justice Sandeep Marne ruled against an earlier report from the bank's internal complaints committee and a decision from an industrial tribunal in Pune. The court found the tribunal’s findings to be misguided and lacking in proper evaluation of the allegations. The case involved a complaint from a female territory manager, who accused the banker of making inappropriate remarks, including comments about her hair and an inappropriate comment about a male colleague. Following the complaints, the banker was demoted and appealed to the tribunal, which dismissed his case. The high court stated that even if the allegations were true, they did not constitute sexual harassment under the law. Justice Marne pointed out that the committee’s report was vague and did not clearly connect the banker’s actions to harassment of the complainant. The court noted that the report failed to properly analyze the evidence and did not sufficiently explain how the alleged incidents amounted to sexual harassment. It also highlighted the exchanges between the banker and the complainant after the incidents raised doubts about any offense. The banker’s lawyer argued that the complaint lacked basis and pointed out procedural errors in how the internal investigation was conducted. She claimed that the timeline of events suggested that the complaint was influenced by personal jealousy rather than actual misconduct.