Senior IRS officer faces sexual harassment case
The Delhi high court has sought a response from a senior Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer, S.K. Srivastav, against whom his two junior colleagues have filed a sexual harassment case.
“The conduct of the respondent (Srivastav) is distinctly an instance of gross sexual harassment,” the two IRS women officers told the HC in their petition on which the notices were issued, including the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), seeking its stand on the women officers’ alleged complaint.
After hearing the women officers’ complaint, Justice S. Muralidhar sought the replies of Srivastava, a 1987-batch IRS officer, and others by April 20. “The officer (Srivastava) has consistently and brazenly humiliated, embarrassed and harassed the petitioners by resorting to obscene, scandalous, reckless and malicious allegations in order to outrage their modesty and to lower their dignity and respect,” said the women officers in their petition.
Admitting the petition against Srivastava, Justice Muralidhar also restrained him from writing letters to the two women officers.
The petitioners said that Srivastava, earlier during his tenure as additional commissioner, I-T depar-tment, had faced probe following some complaints against him. Following the probe, Srivastava was also suspended for some time.
Seeking a direction to the government to take appropriate steps to prevent their sexual harassment, the women officers told the HC that they had also sent representations to the CBDT and its officiating chairman for actions against Srivastava, but it proved futile.
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