MUMBAI, May 15 -- In light of the TCS-linked BPO case in Nashik, the state has empowered government officials to conduct inspections of private and public establishments for compliance under the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013, commonly known as the POSH Act. A senior government official said inspections would help determine whether establishments are following the law in "letter and spirit" and whether complainants are receiving timely justice. The circular, issued by the state women and child development department on Thursday, authorises district-level and departmental officers to inspect workplaces and verify whether organisations are complying with mandatory POSH requirements. These include the constitution of internal committees (ICs), employee awareness programmes, complaint mechanisms and annual reporting obligations. Establishments failing to comply will face punitive action. According to the circular, every workplace employing ten or more persons is required to establish an internal committee to address complaints relating to workplace sexual harassment. Section 25 of the POSH Act also empowers the state to call for information from establishments or conduct inspections. Considering the large number and broad nature of private as well as government, semi-government establishments, corporations in the state, it was necessary to authorise officers for this purpose. "The state has appointed multiple categories of officers for inspections, including district officers, district women and child development officers, child development project officers, protection officers, probation officers and anganwadi supervisory officials, among others," the circular states. It also introduced a POSH compliance checklist to be used during inspections, covering existence of a formal POSH policy, inclusion of remote or work-from-home environments, appointment and composition of internal committees, presence of external NGO members in Internal Committees. The government warned that deficiencies found during inspections could invite punitive action under section 26 of the POSH Act. Employers can face fines up to Rs.50,000 for failing to constitute an IIC, or violating other statutory obligations, with fines doubling upon repeat offences....