VANEETA PATNAIK v. NIRMAL KANTI CHAKRABARTI & ORS.

Vaneeta Patnaik v. Nirmal Kanti Chakrabarti & Ors. is a significant Supreme Court case concerning the interpretation of the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 (POSH Act), particularly the limitation period for filing complaints. The Court held that subsequent administrative actions against the complainant could not automatically be treated as continuing acts of sexual harassment unless they had a direct and clear nexus with the alleged sexual harassment. Since the complaint was filed beyond the statutory limitation period and the later actions lacked such a connection, the Court restored the decision rejecting the complaint as time-barred. The judgment underscores the importance of timely reporting under the POSH Act while clarifying the distinction between administrative decisions and legally recognized continuing acts of workplace sexual harassment.