VISHAKA & ORS. V. STATE OF RAJASTHAN & ORS.

This case commentary analyses the landmark judgment of Vishaka v. State of Rajasthan (1997), which marked a transformative shift in India's constitutional and gender-justice jurisprudence. The Supreme Court recognised sexual harassment as a violation of fundamental rights under Articles 14, 15, 19, and 21, thereby affirming the right of women to work with dignity. In order to fill the legislative vacuum, the Supreme Court by virtue of judicial activism, laid down the Vishaka guidelines, drawing upon international conventions such as CEDAW. This landmark case laid the foundational stone of the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition, and Redressal) Act, 2013.