Natarajan Chandrasekaran, Chairman of Tata Sons, has termed the sexual harassment allegations emerging from Tata Consultancy Services' Nashik office as “gravely concerning and anguishing”, assuring that the matter is being handled with utmost seriousness and urgency.
In a strongly worded statement, Chandrasekaran said action has already been initiated against the accused employees and that the company is extending full cooperation to the ongoing investigation. Reiterating the group's stance, he emphasised that the Tata Group maintains a zero-tolerance policy towards any form of coercion or misconduct.
"The Tata Group maintains a zero-tolerance policy towards any form of coercion or misconduct by its employees. A thorough investigation is underway to establish the facts and identify all individuals responsible for this situation," he said in a statement on Monday.
A comprehensive probe is currently underway, with Aarthi Subramanian, Chief Operating Officer at TCS, leading the investigation. Chandrasekaran added that appropriate and stringent action will be taken against those found guilty, while any necessary process improvements and corrective measures will be promptly implemented.
Allegations Trigger Wider Scrutiny
The development comes in the wake of serious allegations made by eight female employees at TCS' Nashik facility, who have accused certain senior colleagues of sexual harassment and mental abuse. The case has sparked widespread concern within the IT sector, particularly after claims that the human resources department failed to adequately respond to complaints.
Local authorities have stepped in, with police constituting a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the matter. So far, seven individuals, including a female HR manager, have been arrested as part of the investigation.
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TCS, in its earlier statement, confirmed that employees under investigation have been suspended pending enquiry and reiterated its commitment to ensuring the highest standards of workplace safety and employee well-being.
NITES Seeks Government Intervention
Amid the escalating controversy, the Nascent Information Technology Employees Senate (NITES) has approached the Ministry of Labour and Employment seeking a comprehensive audit of compliance with the Prevention of Sexual Harassment (POSH) Act within TCS.
In a letter addressed to Labour Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, the employees' body has called for immediate and time-bound inspection of POSH compliance across all TCS establishments. The proposed audit would examine the constitution, independence and functioning of internal complaints committees, as well as review all cases of sexual harassment reported, pending or resolved in recent years.
NITES has also sought scrutiny of the role of human resources personnel and senior management in handling complaints, including verification of whether employees were discouraged from reporting incidents or faced retaliation.
Beyond TCS, NITES has urged authorities to conduct a wider state-level audit of POSH compliance across IT and IT-enabled services (ITES) companies operating in Maharashtra, particularly large multinational firms.
The organisation stressed that employees are critical contributors to India's economic growth and deserve workplaces that are safe, respectful and compliant with the law. It has called on the ministry to issue strict directions to employers, fixing accountability for any failure to ensure a secure and dignified work environment.
“We request the ministry to treat this matter with utmost urgency and seriousness, not only to address the present case but also to ensure that such incidents do not recur,” NITES said.
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