The Delhi Fee for Ladies (DCW) has taken cognisance of allegations raised by former Newslaundry workers concerning the organisation’s dealing with of office sexual harassment complaints and implementation of its Prevention of Sexual Harassment (POSH) mechanism, Storyboard18 has learnt.
Confirming the event, Delhi Fee for Ladies (DCW) Chairperson Lata Gupta advised Storyboard18 that the fee is assessing the allegations and is presently within the strategy of gathering and reviewing data earlier than taking a name on the subsequent steps.
Calling the problem “very delicate”, Gupta stated the fee is rigorously assessing the matter.
“We’re discussing and looking out into the matter for the reason that matter may be very delicate,” Gupta stated.
She added that the fee is within the strategy of compiling all related particulars and can reply after finishing its preliminary evaluation.
The event comes days after a number of former Newslaundry workers publicly questioned the newsroom’s office tradition, functioning of its Inside Complaints Committee (ICC) and compliance with the POSH Act by a sequence of posts on X.
Former senior correspondent Sumedha Mittal stated on X she hoped Newslaundry would “replicate simply as critically on the sexual harassment complaints inside their very own newsroom.”
Actually respect it. I additionally hope the day comes once they replicate simply as critically on the sexual harassment complaints inside their very own newsroom.
— Sumedha (@TweetSumedha) August 7, 2026
Former worker Priya too alleged that workers weren’t knowledgeable after two members of the Inside Complaints Committee exited the panel and questioned the following reshuffle of the committee.
ICC committee is taken so frivolously. 2 individuals from ICC committee left, however we had been by no means knowledgeable about its reshuffling course of, and who changed these individuals.
— Priya (@phoenix_wing16) August 8, 2026
Former worker Nikita Singh questioned whether or not Newslaundry was totally POSH compliant and whether or not necessary gender-sensitisation and POSH coaching classes had been being performed.
There are a lot of questions that observe. Is the newsroom actually POSH compliant and is there necessary coaching in direction of gender sensitivity?
— Nikita Singh (@Nikitavs) August 8, 2026
Former worker Priyanka Ishwari additionally raised issues about office conduct, alleging that senior journalists ought to be educated to not shout at ladies editors and referring to an incident through which a lady editor was allegedly threatened throughout a work-related name.
Additionally hope they prepare senior journos to not scream at ladies editors and threaten them saying “Kabse dekha raha hun mein tereko” over work calls. Coaching male reporters to behave professionally arnd feminine colleagues and never make the workplace a boy’s lockeroom possibly an excessive amount of to ask?
— Priyanka Ishwari (@properpahari) August 7, 2026
The allegations triggered widespread criticism of Newslaundry founder Abhinandan Sekhri on social media, with a number of customers accusing the organisation of fostering a poisonous newsroom tradition and failing to adequately deal with office harassment issues. Some social media customers additionally alleged that complaints of sexual harassment had been buried internally.
The controversy erupted after Newslaundry eliminated a 2014 opinion article titled “Letter To Ms Tehelka-Assault-Sufferer”, written by Nirupama Sekhri, sister of Abhinandan Sekhri, on the sexual assault case involving former Tehelka editor-in-chief Tarun Tejpal. In a observe revealed on the article’s authentic URL, Newslaundry stated the piece now not mirrored the values guiding its journalism, citing authorized developments, the #MeToo motion and evolving public understanding.
Following the article’s elimination, former workers started questioning Newslaundry’s personal office practices, with some alleging shortcomings within the organisation’s POSH framework and Inside Complaints Committee.
I say this as somebody who joined Newslaundry as their first job, and was the youngest worker there for a while.
This type of atmosphere shatters an adolescent’s confidence. It would not make us “extra geared up for the actual world”. It pushes us away from journalism. https://t.co/Ex5XuwmCUl
— Ishita Pradeep ????????????️???? (@ishitapradeeep) August 10, 2026
“They use the feminine workers to assault ladies. All their funders perceive it. After they get attacked, these identical complicit ladies come ahead to assert victimhood & defend the organisation. It’s known as genderising,” Abhijit Iyer Mitra wrote.
That’s their enterprise mannequin. They use the feminine workers to assault ladies. All their funders perceive it. After they get attacked, these identical complicit ladies come ahead to assert victimhood & defend the organisation. It’s known as genderising. https://t.co/vPleF8TOiB
— Abhijit Iyer-Mitra (@Iyervval) August 9, 2026
One other tweet learn, “Demanding complete transparency from others whereas ignoring sexual harassment complaints and poisonous behaviour in their very own newsroom. @newslaundry’s integrity clearly ends at their entrance door.
https://twitter.com/desi_thug1/standing/2086348015724605754
I believe it’s time to converse up.
I joined Newslaundry as a trainee journalist in 2016—I can’t recall the precise month—with a dream. I had simply handed out of faculty and needed to do the type of unbiased journalism I believed in. On the time, I used to be working as a content material author… https://t.co/DPIQsiW8Lj
— Sayantan Ghosh (@sayantan_gh) August 9, 2026
Nonetheless, based mostly on the general public posts, it stays unclear whether or not the issues relate to complaints in opposition to Abhinandan Sekhri, different senior editorial workers, or incidents that had beforehand been examined by the corporate’s Inside Complaints Committee. Additionally it is not established from the fabric out there whether or not formal complaints had been filed both internally or earlier than any statutory authority.
Storyboard18 reached out to Abhinandan Sekhri for remark. He had not responded on the time of publication.
Earlier, responding to Storyboard18’s queries, Newslaundry Editor-in-Chief Manisha Pande stated the organisation’s office harassment committee had acted on each criticism it had acquired.
“Through the years, Newslaundry’s office harassment committee has addressed all complaints of office harassment it has acquired, leading to dismissals and suspensions the place warranted. None of those complaints had been in opposition to the CEO of Newslaundry. I’ve seen the feedback on social media from former colleagues and have already reached out to 2 of them who raised particular points. The exterior member within the committee held a PoSH coaching program in November 2025,” Pande had stated.
First Printed on
