New Delhi: The Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) has taken cognisance of allegations raised by former employees of digital news platform Newslaundry over the organisation’s handling of workplace sexual harassment complaints, functioning of its Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) and compliance with the Prevention of Sexual Harassment (POSH) framework.
The development could significantly escalate a controversy that began with social-media allegations by former Newslaundry employees and subsequently widened into questions about workplace accountability, institutional transparency and the organisation’s own handling of sexual harassment-related matters.
Confirming the development to the media, DCW Chairperson Lata Gupta said the commission was examining the allegations and collecting relevant information before deciding on its next course of action.
“We are discussing and looking into the matter since the matter is very sensitive,” Gupta said, adding that the commission was compiling the relevant details and would respond after completing its preliminary assessment.
The DCW’s intervention comes after several former Newslaundry employees publicly questioned the organisation’s workplace environment, the constitution and functioning of its ICC and its compliance with statutory POSH requirements.
The allegations have emerged through a series of public posts by former employees, raising questions about whether Newslaundry’s internal mechanisms adequately addressed concerns relating to workplace harassment.
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 Newslaundry’s Internal Complaints Committee was reconstituted. She alleged that employees were not informed after two members left the committee and questioned what followed their departure.
Former employee Nikita Singh separately questioned whether Newslaundry was fully compliant with the POSH Act. She also raised questions over whether mandatory gender-sensitisation initiatives and POSH training programmes were being conducted within the organisation.
Former employee Priyanka Ishwari raised concerns about workplace conduct, 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 allegedly threatened during a work-related call.
Taken together, the allegations have put the spotlight not merely on individual incidents but on the broader question of whether a newsroom that reports extensively on issues of accountability and social justice maintains equally rigorous standards within its own workplace.
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 Newslaundry founder Abhinandan Sekhri.
The article dealt with the sexual assault case involving former Tehelka editor-in-chief Tarun Tejpal.
Following the removal, Newslaundry published a note at the original URL stating that the article no longer reflected the values guiding its journalism. The organisation referred to subsequent legal developments, the #MeToo movement and changes in public understanding surrounding sexual harassment and assault.
The decision to remove the article subsequently prompted former employees and other critics to scrutinise Newslaundry’s own workplace practices.
Questions began emerging over whether the organisation’s POSH framework was functioning effectively, whether its ICC was constituted and operated in accordance with statutory requirements, and whether complaints were being handled with the transparency and seriousness expected of an organisation that routinely scrutinises institutions and public figures.
The allegations have also triggered sharp 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. Others have accused the organisation of demanding transparency from external institutions while allegedly failing to provide sufficient clarity regarding complaints and workplace behaviour inside its own newsroom.
One social-media post by Abhijit Iyer Mitra accused Newslaundry of using female employees to defend the organisation when it faced criticism, describing the alleged practice as “genderising” the issue.
Another post criticised Newslaundry for demanding transparency from others while allegedly failing to provide adequate transparency about sexual harassment complaints and alleged toxic workplace behaviour.
However, these social-media allegations remain allegations. The public material currently available does not, by itself, establish the nature, merits or outcome of any particular complaint.
It is also not clear whether all the incidents referred to by former employees resulted in formal complaints before Newslaundry’s ICC or any statutory authority.
Similarly, the available material does not establish whether the allegations concern complaints against Abhinandan Sekhri, other senior editorial employees, or incidents that may already have been examined internally.
Newslaundry and the ‘Cutting South’
Newslaundry was among the media organisations associated with Cutting South, a programme organised in Kochi in March 2023 and sponsored by the Kerala Media Academy, a media school controlled by the Government of Kerala. Reports have raised questions over an alleged $4,000 agreement involving Newslaundry and the Canadian High Commissioner in connection with the programme.
Cutting South, billed as a media and cultural programme, was considered an anti-national event, with representatives of media organisations that had received foreign funding for activities against the Indian government participating in the programme.
The Kerala Media Academy had reportedly stated that ₹44 lakh was spent on Cutting South. This raises questions about Newslaundry’s financial arrangement with the Canadian High Commission; the nature of the agreement and the flow of funds connected to the event.
What Newslaundry said
Newslaundry Editor-in-Chief Manisha Pande, however, had earlier responded to media’s queries and said that the organisation’s workplace harassment committee had acted on every complaint it had received.
“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.
Pande further stated that none of those complaints had been against Newslaundry’s CEO. She said she had seen the comments made by former colleagues on social media and had already reached out to two former employees who had raised specific concerns.
Pande also said the external member of Newslaundry’s workplace harassment committee had conducted a POSH training programme in November 2025.
The response puts Newslaundry’s position in direct contrast with the concerns raised publicly by former employees. While the organisation says complaints have been acted upon and disciplinary action has been taken where warranted, former employees have raised questions about the transparency of the mechanism, its composition and the organisation’s broader workplace culture.
The DCW’s preliminary examination potentially changes the character of the controversy.
Until now, much of the debate has played out through social-media posts, public accusations and responses from former employees and Newslaundry representatives. The involvement of a statutory women’s rights body could bring greater scrutiny to the documentary record surrounding the organisation’s ICC and POSH compliance.
