RAS question
In the Vishaka v. State of Rajasthan (1997) case, the Supreme Court laid down guidelines for:
Correct answer: (C) Prevention of sexual harassment at the workplace.
In Vishaka v. State of Rajasthan (1997), the Supreme Court laid down guidelines to prevent sexual harassment of women at workplaces.
Explanation
Vishaka was about making the constitutional rights of working women effective when no specific domestic law yet occupied the field. The Supreme Court treated workplace sexual harassment as a violation of gender equality, life with dignity, and the right to practise any profession under Articles 14, 19 and 21. An effective remedy under Article 32 required guidelines for employers and other responsible persons at workplaces. The Court therefore laid down norms to prevent and deter sexual harassment, provide procedures for resolution, settlement or prosecution, and keep them binding until suitable legislation was enacted. These Vishaka guidelines operated until the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Protection of environment is not the subject of Vishaka, which centered on gender equality and sexual harassment of working women at workplaces.
- (B) Right to privacy became a central fundamental-rights issue in K. S. Puttaswamy, while Vishaka dealt with workplace sexual harassment and Articles 14, 19 and 21 in that context.
- (D) Prevention of dowry deaths is outside the issue in Vishaka, where the Court laid down workplace norms for preventing and redressing sexual harassment.
Concept
The governance syllabus includes landmark Supreme Court judgments on fundamental rights and gender justice. Vishaka recurs in RAS because it connects constitutional remedies, workplace dignity and later statutory protection in one case.