Left digital media platform Newslaundry has been facing heat by its former employees who have accused the Abhinandan Sekhri and Manisha Pandey led propaganda platform of being a toxic workplace. Serious allegations have been levelled against Newslaundry not only about the mental harassment of employees, but also of sexual harassment at the workplace. Facing mounting heat, Newslaundry on the 11th of August issued a statement, claiming that they were not perfect and had resolved 4 sexual harassment complaints since 2017. However, that statement by Newslaundry has now been exposed as a lie by one of their former employees, Sumedha Mittal, who has been talking about the culture of harassment at the workplace.
On the 14th of August, Sumedha Mittal posted on X that the statement by Newslaundry defending themselves against allegations of mental and sexual harassment at the workplace was a lie.
Newslaundry claims it received and acted on 4 sexual harassment complaints since 2017. But year after year, their company records state that they have received 0 complaints.
— Sumedha (@TweetSumedha) August 14, 2026
In fact in 2024, it reported that POSH disclosures aren't applicable to them. https://t.co/5xMYyNkbVI pic.twitter.com/7iAS8aoF9Y
Sumedha posted screenshots of Newslaundry records revealing that since 2017, they had consistently claimed that they had received zero sexual harassment complaints at their organisation.
In fact, in the year 2024, Newslaundry declared that the requirement of POSH declarations don’t apply to them at all.
This piece of evidence becomes pivotal since Newslaundry, in their statement had claimed that they had resolved 4 sexual harassment complaints since 2017.
What was the Newslaundry statement after sexual harassment accusations, and what did Sumedha Mittal reveal
In its statement, Newslaundry said it wanted to make it “clear” that it has an ICC specifically constituted to examine complaints of sexual harassment.
According to the organisation, the committee has dealt with four complaints since 2017. Newslaundry said these proceedings resulted in disciplinary consequences ranging from termination and suspension to other forms of action.
The admission is significant because it is the first time the organisation has publicly disclosed a figure for the number of sexual harassment complaints handled by its ICC. Newslaundry maintained that it “is and has been POSH compliant,” though the claim has not been independently verified.
The organisation also invited current and former associates to approach it with concerns, saying it encouraged “anyone associated with Newslaundry, including former employees” to write to the organisation.
At the same time, Newslaundry pushed back against allegations of workplace harassment after former employees shared their ordeal on social media. It said that while it had been engaging with feedback over the previous five days, it had observed what it called the “vile and slanderous” nature of conversations surrounding the organisation and several members of its staff.
It alleged that “unsubstantiated and fictitious allegations” were being made against its colleagues and said its decision not to respond to what it characterised as abuse and lies should not be interpreted as defensiveness.
Sumedha questioned that if according to their official disclosures, they had received no sexual harassment complaints since 2017, how did they, in their statement, claim that they had resolved 4.
Sumedha further revealed that some of the Newslaundry employees have been hired under Toque Content Solutions – the parent company. Toque Content Solutions too, in their disclosures, have claimed that they have recieved no sexual harassment complaints since 2017.
Also look into the records of Toque Content Solutions Private Limited. Some NL employees are on its payroll.
— Sumedha (@TweetSumedha) August 14, 2026
It stated 0 sexual harassment complaints. And in 2024, POSH disclosures weren't applicable to the company. pic.twitter.com/ALCg22WUZR
Important questions that Newslaundry must answer
The revelations by Sumedha Mittal come as Newslaundry is reportedly under investigation by Delhi Commission for Women. Sumedha’s revelations essentially disprove the statement by Newslaundry. While they claim that they are an organisation which takes work place harassment and sexual harassment seriously, their POSH disclosures tell an extremely different story.
In their statement, Newslaundry claims that it had addressed and resolved 4 complaints of sexual harassment at the workplace since 2017 since they are a responsible POSH compliant company. However, official disclosures prove that they had declared zero sexual harassment complaints in the same period.
Does this mean that Newslaundry decided to settle the sexual harassment complaints internally and never reported it in their disclosure statements? Or did they intimidate the women who complained and decided to not report the complaints, essentially breaking the law.
While Newslaundry likes to hold every other media organisation accountable, there seems to be a serious lack of accountability within the organisation which deserves investigation by the authorities.
Complaints of sexual and mental harassment against Newslaundry, run by Abhinandan Sekhri and Manisha Pandey
Former senior correspondent Sumedha Mittal, who laid bare the lie by Newslaundry, had said that 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 POSH Guidelines. 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.
When the allegations surfaced, some users had alleged that complaints concerning sexual harassment were not adequately addressed or were kept within the organisation. The recent revelations by Sumedha Mittal prove that those allegations may be accurate.
