POSH Act On Paper, Silence In Practice: Why Domestic Workers Can’t Access Justice 

Suman Kamble, 40, domestic worker based in Mira Road, was allegedly murdered by her employer Aashish Meshram on 25 March 2026. According to Mira Road Police, she had been subjected to sexual harassment and unwanted advances by Meshram for over a month. Kamble is survived by her husband, a shoemaker, and their four children—three sons and a daughter. Her eldest son, 20, contributes to the household as a gig worker.

The incident was reported in an English daily and a few hyperlocal Marathi YouTube channels as a ‘crime’ story, which it is. Yet none highlighted the issue sexual harassment at workplace faced by domestic workers, nor the legal recourse available under the Prevention of Sexual Harassment at Workplace (POSH) Act, 2013. 

Under the law, domestic workers can report sexual harassment—whether physical, verbal, or non-verbal—through district-level Local Committees which the district collector or district magistrate is mandated to set up or the SHe-Box online portal. 

Sexual harassment of domestic workers is frequently discussed in conferences, seminars, and academic research, but rarely addressed with urgency. After Suman Kamble’s death Outlook examines not only her case, but also the structural failures that deny domestic workers access to justice. Before unpacking the system that failed her, here is her story.

Kamble, 40, a Dalit domestic worker based in Mira Road, Mumbai suburban, worked in 7–8 households to make a living. One of her workplaces was Chandresh Arcade, a housing society in the Silver Park area. The accused, Aashish Meshram, an actor, had employed her for domestic work. For over six months, she worked at his apartment, cooking and cleaning. According to police, Meshram repeatedly made sexual advances towards her, which she consistently refused.

Despite her clear lack of consent, the harassment continued, forcing her to leave the job a few weeks ago. He also allegedly called her elder son, threatening him to persuade his mother into a “physical relationship”, warning of “repercussions” if he failed. When her son confronted her, Kamble told him about the harassment and why she had quit the job at Meshram’s apartment.

Kamble’s son later allegedly confronted and assaulted Meshram in a public place. A few weeks later, Meshram’s brother called Kamble, urging her to return to work and assuring her safety. “Aashish has left the apartment and won’t come again, so you are safe,” she was told. Trusting this, she resumed work. On March 25, however, Aashish Meshram allegedly entered the apartment and stabbed her to death. She was found in a pool of blood when police arrived and was declared dead on arrival at a private hospital in Mira Road.

Meshram had been absconding since March 25, and was arrested by Mira Road Police on March 27 in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. He was brought back to Mira Road Police Station on transit remand on Sunday, March 29.

“We did not find any evidence of rape or sexual violence before the murder. However, the accused had been repeatedly making sexual advances towards her. Her son also received a threatening call, and there was a violent confrontation,” said Meghana Borande, Senior Police Inspector at Mira Road Police Station, to Outlook.

When asked whether Kamble had filed any complaint of sexual harassment against her employer, Borande said, “No, we did not receive any such complaint from Kamble or her family members earlier.”

Outlook also reached out to the Thane District Local Committee, which covers Mira Road under the POSH Act, to check whether it had received any complaint from Kamble. According to committee member and Women and Child Development officer Namita Shinde, no such complaint was received.

District Local Committees, set up under the POSH Act, are meant to address cases of sexual harassment at workplace in the unorganised sector. They assist survivors in filing complaints, conduct inquiries, and are expected to deliver outcomes within 90 days. These proceedings are civil in nature, unlike criminal cases. 

However, not just Kamble, no complaints from domestic workers regarding sexual harassment at workplace appear to have reached the Thane committee in the 2025 calendar year. This does not mean such harassment does not occur. It does. But domestic workers often remain unable to report abuse, whether to the police or to local committees largely because these mechanisms remain inaccessible to women in the unorganised sector. 

“We have seen many cases where domestic workers are sexually harassed by employers, but they are scared to report it to the police, because of the hostility poor women face at police stations. They aren’t trusted by the system. Their abuse becomes questionable to the extent of victim blaming,” says Anita, who works with the National domestic workers movement for the rights of domestic workers.  

“Women who face repeated harassment often leave their jobs without taking action against the employer, due to fear of criminal proceedings, losing work in other households, or not finding new work in the area,” she adds.

Why aren't domestic workers reaching out to the district local committees meant for them? 

While trying to access details of the Thane District Local Committee, Outlook navigated the Women and Child Development Department website—the nodal agency. After hours of searching, we found a PDF listing committee chairpersons and contact numbers.

Using this, Outlook contacted Vaishali Mane, listed as chairperson, and sent her questions on accessibility and outreach for unorganised women workers. “I am not the chair at present. I only handle cases of government employees at the district collector’s office,” she said.

This indicates the website database is not updated. When asked whom to contact, Mane directed us to Namita Shinde, a committee member under the 2025 reconstitution of Thane district local committee. We then reached out to Shinde, who is also a WCD department officer.

On questions around the outdated database, accessibility for marginalised women under the POSH Act, outreach efforts in 2025, and the number of domestic worker cases registered, Shinde said, “We haven’t received any complaint from any domestic worker so far. For effective outreach among domestic and other unorganised workers, we are trying to collaborate with NGOs and the labour department.”

She added that although the department’s website is outdated, “all recent details about the committee are available on the ‘SHe-Box’ portal.”

The SHe-Box portal, created by the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development, is meant to serve as a central resource for the key information and avenues under the POSH Act, 2013. However, accessing information about specific district committees is technically difficult and available only in English. Filing a complaint requires creating a login Id, something which many domestic workers cannot do, due to lack of smartphones, internet access, or familiarity with English. 

“My employer in a society in Andheri used to stare at me and pass unwelcome remarks when I folded my saree up to my knees while cleaning the floor. I complained to his wife, but instead of understanding, she got angry and fired me,” said 33-year-old Chhaya*. 

“Why do you fold your saree up to your knees? Don’t you have manners to work in front of men?” The victim-blaming question still brings her to tears. The incident took place in 2023. More than two years later, Chhaya remains unaware of the district local committee, like many other domestic workers Outlook spoke to in Mumbai.

Why aren’t districts local committees reaching out to women from unorganised sector   

Most district local committees in Maharashtra receive complaints of sexual harassment at workplace from women in the private sector—particularly those filing against employers or facing issues with Internal Committees in their organisations. 

Outlook spoke to two other district committee chairs, apart from Thane, who requested anonymity while highlighting structural gaps.

“We want to reach women in the unorganised sector and run awareness campaigns, including outreach to housing societies to sensitise employers of domestic workers. But we don’t have funds for this. We also need cooperation from the labour department,” said one committee chairperson.

Another chairperson pointed to gaps in the committee’s functioning, “We don’t even have designated offices to conduct enquiries. We sit wherever space is available at the district collector office or at the Women and Child Development department’s office. There’s no stationery, computer, or typing support. The honorarium doesn’t even cover travel expenses. These are structural issues that need proper budgetary support.”   

Had Suman Kamble known about the POSH Act or at least avenues like the local committee, had it been accessible to her, she might still be alive and had Chaya had known about it, she could have at least file a complaint and these are not isolated stories, there are many; most untold!