The Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) has taken cognisance of allegations raised by former employees of digital news platform Newslaundry concerning the organisation’s handling of workplace sexual harassment complaints and the functioning of its Prevention of Sexual Harassment (POSH) mechanism, an exclusive report published by Storyboard18 said.
The development assumes significance as questions surrounding Newslaundry’s workplace culture, Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) and compliance with the POSH Act have emerged publicly in recent days, with several former employees raising concerns on social media.
Confirming the development to Storyboard18, DCW Chairperson Lata Gupta said the commission was examining the allegations and gathering relevant information before deciding on the further course of action.
Gupta described the matter as “very sensitive” and said the commission was currently assessing the details.
“We are discussing and looking into the matter since the matter is very sensitive,” Gupta told Storyboard18.
She added that the commission was compiling the relevant information and would respond after completing its preliminary assessment.
The DCW’s intervention comes after a series of posts by former Newslaundry employees on X, in which questions were raised about the organisation’s workplace environment, the constitution and functioning of its Internal Complaints Committee and its compliance with statutory POSH requirements.
Former senior correspondent Sumedha Mittal said she hoped Newslaundry would “reflect just as seriously” on sexual harassment complaints within its own newsroom.
Another former employee, Priya, questioned the manner in which the organisation’s ICC was reconstituted. She alleged that employees were not informed after two members of the committee left the panel and raised questions about the subsequent changes to its composition.
Former employee Nikita Singh separately questioned whether Newslaundry was fully compliant with the POSH Act. She also raised questions about whether mandatory gender-sensitisation programmes and POSH training sessions were being conducted at the organisation.
Former employee Priyanka Ishwari raised concerns over workplace conduct as well, saying senior journalists should be trained not to shout at women editors. She also referred to an alleged incident in which a woman editor was threatened during a work-related call.
The allegations have triggered criticism of Newslaundry founder Abhinandan Sekhri and the organisation’s workplace culture on social media. Some users have alleged that complaints concerning sexual harassment were not adequately addressed or were kept within the organisation.
However, the public allegations, by themselves, do not establish the nature or outcome of any specific complaint. It is also unclear from the material currently in the public domain whether the concerns raised by former employees relate to allegations against Sekhri, other senior editorial employees, or incidents that may previously have been examined by Newslaundry’s ICC.
It has also not been established whether all the incidents referred to in the social media posts resulted in formal complaints being filed either with Newslaundry’s internal committee or before a statutory authority.
The controversy gained momentum after Newslaundry removed a 2014 opinion article titled “Letter To Ms Tehelka-Assault-Victim”, written by Nirupama Sekhri, the sister of Abhinandan Sekhri. The article dealt with the sexual assault case involving former Tehelka editor-in-chief Tarun Tejpal.
After removing the article, Newslaundry published a note at the original URL explaining that the piece no longer reflected the values guiding its journalism. The organisation cited subsequent legal developments, the #MeToo movement and changes in public understanding surrounding sexual harassment and assault.
The removal subsequently prompted former employees and other critics to scrutinise Newslaundry’s own workplace practices. Questions were raised about whether the organisation had followed the POSH framework in letter and spirit and whether its internal mechanism had adequately dealt with complaints.
One social media user, Abhijit Iyer Mitra, accused Newslaundry of using female employees to defend the organisation when it faced criticism and alleged that the organisation’s approach amounted to “genderising” the issue.
Another post criticised Newslaundry for demanding transparency from others while allegedly failing to provide adequate transparency about sexual harassment complaints and workplace behaviour within its own newsroom.
With the DCW now examining the allegations, the issue could potentially move beyond the ongoing social-media debate and come under formal scrutiny by a statutory women’s rights body.
Newslaundry’s response
Storyboard18 reached out to Abhinandan Sekhri for his response to the allegations. He had not responded at the time of publication.
Newslaundry Editor-in-Chief Manisha Pande, however, had earlier responded to Storyboard18’s queries and defended the organisation’s handling of workplace harassment complaints.
Pande said Newslaundry’s workplace harassment committee had acted on every complaint it had received over the years, adding that dismissals and suspensions had been imposed wherever warranted.
“Over the years, Newslaundry’s workplace harassment committee has addressed all complaints of workplace harassment it has received, resulting in dismissals and suspensions where warranted,” Pande said.
She further stated that none of those complaints had been against Newslaundry’s CEO.
“I have seen the comments on social media from former colleagues and have already reached out to two of them who raised specific issues,” Pande said.
Pande also said the external member of Newslaundry’s workplace harassment committee had conducted a POSH training programme in November 2025.
The DCW’s preliminary assessment will now be closely watched, particularly for whether the commission seeks additional records or explanations from Newslaundry concerning its ICC, the complaints it has received, the manner in which those complaints were handled and the organisation’s compliance with mandatory POSH requirements.
