Formal notice to stop workplace, domestic, cyber, or stalking harassment — with a warning of legal consequences.
Police / Magistrate where harassment occurred. Internal Complaints Committee (POSH) for workplace harassment. Civil court for damages.
Criminal complaint as soon as possible. Civil suit within 3 years from date of harassment — Limitation Act 1963.
This coverage is provided by a practicing advocate. Specific sections cited depend on the facts you provide during drafting.
A legal notice against harassment is sent to an individual, organisation, or institution that has subjected you to repeated unwanted behaviour, intimidation, verbal abuse, workplace harassment, sexual harassment, or cyber harassment. It formally demands that the harassing conduct cease immediately and warns of legal consequences including criminal complaints and civil suits. For workplace sexual harassment, a separate POSH complaint to the Internal Complaints Committee is also advisable.
Send this notice when you are experiencing ongoing harassment — by a neighbour, colleague, employer, creditor, ex-partner, or online troll — and informal requests to stop have been ignored. It is particularly important before filing an FIR, approaching the POSH committee, or seeking a protection order, as it documents your objection to the behaviour and the date from which you raised the complaint.
Relevant laws include: Section 354A IPC (sexual harassment); Section 354D IPC (stalking); Section 503–506 IPC (criminal intimidation and threats); Section 509 IPC (words/gestures insulting modesty); The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 (POSH Act) for workplace cases; Section 67A IT Act, 2000 for cyber harassment; and the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005 for domestic harassment.
If the harasser ignores this notice, you can file an FIR with the police under applicable IPC sections, approach the Internal Complaints Committee under POSH, seek a protection order from a Magistrate under Section 12 of the Domestic Violence Act, or file a civil suit for damages. Courts can grant injunctions restraining the harasser from coming within a specified distance of you.
Legally, harassment involves repeated unwanted conduct that creates a hostile environment or causes fear. Bullying is a form of harassment involving power imbalance. Both can attract criminal liability under IPC Sections 503–506 and civil liability for mental distress and suffering.
Yes. Cyber harassment (trolling, sending threatening messages, sharing morphed images) is an offence under Section 67A IT Act, 2000 and Sections 354A/354D/509 IPC. A legal notice is the first step; if ignored, you can report to the cyber crime portal (cybercrime.gov.in) and file an FIR.
A POSH complaint is filed with your company's Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) for sexual harassment at the workplace. A legal notice is a separate, pre-litigation step addressed directly to the harasser or their employer. Both can be pursued simultaneously.
Yes. Men can also be victims of harassment and can send legal notices. While the POSH Act specifically protects women at the workplace, general IPC provisions on criminal intimidation and harassment apply to all genders.
Keep records of all incidents: screenshots of messages, call logs, photographs of physical damage, witness names, dates and times of incidents, and any earlier communications asking the harasser to stop. This documentation supports both the legal notice and any subsequent FIR or court case.
For neighbour harassment, a legal notice is the first step. If ignored, you can file a complaint with the local police, approach the civil court for an injunction, or raise the matter with the housing society's managing committee (in apartment complexes).
A legal notice itself is not a restraining order. However, it is necessary documentation before a court will grant an injunction. After sending the notice, you can apply to a Civil Court or Magistrate for an interim injunction restraining the harasser.
If your employer is harassing you, send the legal notice to the employer/company. Simultaneously file a complaint with the POSH ICC (for sexual harassment) or with the Labour Commissioner (for other workplace harassment). If the employer retaliates, it is an additional offence.
Please confirm all of the following before proceeding with your Harassment Notice notice:
Please confirm all eligibility conditions above to proceed. If you are unsure about any point, you may not be eligible for this type of notice.