Quick answer: An Internal Committee under POSH is the body you must set up, by written order, at each Indian office or unit with 10 or more employees. It receives sexual harassment complaints, runs inquiries with civil court powers and recommends action. Section 4 of the POSH Act, 2013 fixes who sits on it and for how long.
- A senior woman employee must preside, with at least two employee members and one external member.
- At least half of all members must be women.
- Members serve for up to three years from nomination.
- You pay the external member’s fees for attending proceedings.
Who sits on a POSH internal committee?
Four or more people, with a woman in the chair. The table follows section 4(2) of the POSH Act text on India Code.
| Seat | Who can fill it |
|---|---|
| Presiding Officer | A woman employed at a senior level |
| Employee members, at least 2 | Preferably committed to women’s causes, or with social work or legal knowledge |
| External member, 1 | From an NGO or association committed to women’s causes, or familiar with sexual harassment issues |
| Gender balance | At least half the members women |
Small Indian teams often lack a senior woman. The Act lets you nominate one from another office of the same workplace, or from another workplace of the same employer.
The common mistake is reusing a group ethics panel abroad. It rarely meets the Indian seat rules or the per-office requirement, and an improperly constituted committee can undermine its own findings.
What are the internal complaints committee timelines?
Every step of an internal committee POSH inquiry runs on a statutory clock. L&S’s POSH resource summarises them.
| Step | Time limit |
|---|---|
| Complaint filed | Within 3 months of the incident, extendable by 3 more |
| Inquiry completed | Within 90 days |
| Report to employer and parties | Within 10 days of the inquiry ending |
| Employer acts on recommendations | Within 60 days |
| Annual report to District Officer | By 31 January |
Before an inquiry, the committee may try conciliation if the complainant asks. No monetary settlement can form its basis.
During the inquiry, it can recommend interim relief. That includes transferring either party or giving the complainant up to three months’ leave.
How does an EOR run the internal committee?
The EOR constitutes and maintains the committee as the legal employer, and its annual report covers your India team. You support the work.
That means releasing staff for hearings and acting on the committee’s recommendations within 60 days when the respondent is someone you manage. Under the POSH Act, the external member and the senior woman chair must be real, named people, so ask your EOR for the committee order.
Our EOR compliance checklist includes it.
How does Remunance keep your POSH committee in order?
Remunance carries POSH policy and annual filing within its statutory scope for the teams it employs, alongside its wider employer of record services. We answer client queries within 2 working days, which matters when a complaint lands and your managers need guidance quickly. To check how your India committee is set up, ask for a POSH committee review.
What else do people ask about the internal complaints committee?
Is the internal complaints committee the same as the internal committee?
Yes. The 2013 Act’s section 4 heading refers to the Internal Complaints Committee, while the Act now uses “Internal Committee” in its text. Both mean the same body.
Can the external member be a lawyer?
Yes, if the person meets the Act’s test: someone from an NGO or association committed to women’s causes, or familiar with sexual harassment issues. Many employers appoint an experienced practitioner.
What if you have no committee at all?
You risk a fine of up to ₹50,000 under section 26, doubled on repeat. Since the August 2025 order, labour departments are actively checking, and a gap shows up as a hole in your statutory compliance records and wider labour law compliance.