Revenge After a Breakup Led to a POSH Complaint. Here's How We Proved the Truth. — NBFC, Noida
The Client: A 35-year-old branch manager at a Noida-based NBFC with a spotless professional record over 6 years.
What Happened: The branch manager and a colleague were in a relationship for about two year. It was a consensual personal relationship from both sides. But when the branch manager decided to end it, things changed. Within 10 days, the woman filed a POSH complaint saying the relationship was never her choice — that branch manager had used his senior position to pressure her into it. Without waiting for the full picture, the company transferred him to a smaller branch. Everyone in the office understood what that meant — it looked like a punishment.
What the Evidence Actually Showed:
- Both parties had exchanged over 1,200 WhatsApp messages over 24 months — all friendly, caring, and clearly showing consensual relationship
- They had planned holidays together, exchanged gifts, and introduced each other to their families
- The complainant had even introduced the accused to her family as her partner
- After the breakup, the complainant sent 47 messages in 8 days asking the accused to come back — but he didn't reply
- The POSH complaint was filed just 2 days after her last unanswered message
- During the entire 24 months of the relationship, there was never a single complaint of harassment — the complaint came only after the relationship ended
How We Helped our client ::
- Represented the accused before the Internal Committee with complete chat records presented date by date
- Presented the messages to prove that the relationship was clearly consensual, mutual, and no one was forced into it
- Presented the full timeline: they were in a relationship for 24 months. As soon as the accused ended the relationship, she sent 47 messages requesting him to come back. When he did not reply, she filed the complaint
- Explained to Internal Committee that ending of a consensual relationship doesn't become harassment just because it ended
- Protected the accused's right to privacy and requested to IC that shared only those messages that were needed to prove the truth — nothing extra
- Ensured the IC understood the difference between a genuine POSH complaint and a post-breakup retaliation
The Outcome: The IC found that the relationship was consensual — no one was forced. So it was not harassment under the POSH Act. The accused was transferred back to his original branch with the same position. The IC noted in its findings that the complaint appeared to be motivated by the breakdown of a personal relationship rather than any workplace harassment. After the case, we advised the NBFC to update its workplace relationship policy to require voluntary disclosure of relationships between employees in reporting lines, preventing similar situations in the future.
