A Delhi court has directed a senior police official to oversee an ongoing investigation into allegations of sexual harassment against senior officials of Hero Future Energies (HFE), including its Global CEO, Srivatsan Iyer. The judicial intervention comes after a woman employee alleged that the company’s internal inquiry was “procedurally flawed” and “biased.”
Presiding over the Mahila Court in Saket, Judicial Magistrate First Class Neetika Kapoor noted significant gaps in the police investigation. During the proceedings, it was revealed that key witnesses listed by the complainant had not yet been examined, and no probe had been conducted regarding the CEO, who is reportedly currently outside the country. In light of these findings, the court directed an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) to monitor the investigation and ordered the Investigating Officer (IO) to interrogate Mr. Iyer and file a report by the next date of hearing on June 11.
The case originated from a complaint filed by a female employee alleging sexual harassment by a key managerial person and, subsequently, by the CEO. The complainant argued that despite an internal inquiry finding the accused guilty of misconduct, HFE only recommended minor corrective measures. She further alleged that she was subjected to criminal intimidation and denied access to workplace systems, despite an industrial tribunal order restraining the company from taking coercive action against her employment.
In response to the judicial orders and the allegations, Hero Future Energies shared the following statement:
”Hero Future Energies treats POSH complaints with utmost seriousness. We have followed all procedures prescribed by the POSH act to constitute an Internal Committee for a complaint made about an incident in May 2024 and the internal committee has gone through material evidence and statements and arrived at recommendations that were accepted by HFE.
The complainant has challenged the findings before an appellate tribunal and since the matter is sub judice, it would not be fit to comment on the same. HFE stands by its commitment to protect employees and ensure a safe working environment.
As far as the criminal case is concerned, HFE is committed to fully cooperate with investigating authorities. Since the allegations in the FIR are primarily against the accused employee, HFE’s role as an employer will be to facilitate the investigation.
However, the personal allegations against Mr Srivatsan Iyer are absolutely baseless and unfortunate. While the law should take its course, We have full faith in Mr Iyer and will provide him all legal support.”
The company maintains that it remains committed to facilitating the investigation while standing by its senior leadership against what it describes as “baseless” personal allegations. The matter remains under deliberation in both the Saket District Court and the industrial tribunal.”
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Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
