V G Vinod Kumar, a senior IPS officer of Kerala cadre, has filed a petition before the high court to quash the final inquiry report issued under the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 (Posh Act). This petition concerns complaints made by two women sub-inspectors against him. It also seeks to quash all subsequent proceedings.
During Tuesday's hearing, Justice Harishankar V Menon granted the complainants two weeks to file their counter-affidavits in the petition, at the request of their counsel. A request for in-camera proceedings was also made, but the HC stated that the matter would be considered on the next posting date.
The proceedings stem from complaints lodged by two women sub-inspectors who had served under Vinod Kumar during his tenure as Pathanamthitta SP. The inquiry was launched in August 2025 after the officers accused him of sending inappropriate messages and making late-night phone calls.
In response to the inquiry, the internal complaints committee (ICC) has submitted its final report.
Challenging the report, Vinod Kumar has contended that the ICC lacked jurisdiction to entertain the complaints, as the allegations, even if accepted in their entirety, do not constitute sexual harassment within the meaning of Section 2(n) of the Posh Act. According to the petition, apart from certain screenshots of call logs and “hello” messages, no material was produced to establish conduct falling within the statutory definition of sexual harassment.
It is further argued that there were no allegations of sexually coloured remarks, unwelcome advances or any communication with a sexual connotation.
The petition further states that the ICC should have decided the issue of maintainability at the threshold. Instead, it allegedly permitted the complainants to file multiple additional statements, allowing the petitioner to introduce an embellished and improved version of the allegations. This was done in an attempt to bring the complaints within the ambit of the Posh Act.
Vinod Kumar further alleges that the entire inquiry process was tainted by illegality, procedural impropriety, bias, mala fides, denial of natural justice and breach of confidentiality.
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