Bangalore, Feb. 21: Nasscom chief Som Mittal will now have to reply to a notice asking him why action should not be taken against him in the Pratibha Murthy case.

The labour department had sent the notice under the Karnataka Shops and Commercial Establishments Act, 1961, under which women on night shifts must be given adequate security.

The act bans night shifts for women, but exempts IT service companies like HP Global Soft, where Pratibha worked at the time of her rape and murder in December 2005.

Mittal, heading the firm then, had challenged the notice in the high court and lost. He then went to the Supreme Court.

The act has no provision for jail terms. But Mittal can be fined, though he might not have to pay that penalty, either.

“If the labour commissioner is satisfied (that Mittal had done enough for Pratibha’s security), he may not even be fined. He would be let off with a warning,” an official said.