India, Sept. 17 -- The Supreme Court is right in refusing to extend the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 or POSH Act to political parties on the grounds that the latter are not comparable with workplaces. A political party is a voluntary association of individuals who come together on the basis of a shared belief in certain values and pursue public office to implement a common vision. The relationship between a party and its cadres/members is not defined by a legally enforceable contract promising wage for labour provided within a mutually agreed and stipulated work-time and under certain norms and conditions, as in the case of a workspace. Political work is a voluntary act influenced by a moral urge to do public service, whose outcome may include office and profit. That said, politics as practised by parties is a competitive arena, with practitioners privileging profit over other motives. This makes it very necessary for political parties to institute checks and balances that prevent any form of discrimination or harassment within their fold. Political parties, despite their claims to be agents of change, tend to replicate the social structures they promise to reform. Anecdotal evidence shows that parties are dens of patriarchy, replicating its values. Discrimination against women in a political party extends from the glass ceiling regarding office to physical abuse and violence. Hence, political parties must maintain mechanisms, including internal complaints committees, to foster a culture that respects gender diversity and facilitates a level playing field for all its members. As platforms that promise to empower the less privileged and seek a mandate to govern, political parties have to make sure that their conduct is always in step with constitutional guarantees, such as the right to equality. This is important as women's participation in politics will rise with women's reservation in legislative bodies....