(1) Every District Officer shall constitute in the district concerned, a committee to be known as the "Local Complaints Committee" to receive complaints of sexual harassment from establishments where the Internal Complaints Committee has not been constituted due to having less than ten workers or if the complaint is against the employer himself.
(2) The District Officer shall designate one nodal officer in every block, taluka and tehsil in rural or tribal area and ward or municipality in the urban area, to receive complaints and forward the same to the concerned Local Complaints Committee within a period of seven days.
(3) The jurisdiction of the Local Complaints Committee shall extend to the areas of the district where it is constituted.
Legal Commentary & Landmark Judgments: Section 6
Section 6 mandates the constitution of a Local Complaints Committee (now Local Committee) in every district to receive complaints from establishments with fewer than ten workers or where the complaint is against the employer himself.
The District Officer must also designate a nodal officer in every block, taluka, and tehsil to receive complaints and forward them to the Local Committee within seven days, ensuring accessible redressal for rural and unorganized women workers.
Section 6 bridges the gap between large corporate offices and the unorganized workforce. Without the Local Committee, domestic maids, street vendors, and employees of small proprietary firms would have no administrative forum to address workplace harassment, forcing them to rely solely on protracted criminal litigation.