Legal

Human Rights Policy

How we respect human rights in our work for representatives, candidates and parties, in our workplace, and in our dealings with suppliers.

1. Our commitment

PollMine Analytics works close to the democratic process. We recognise that how political research, communication and campaign operations are carried out can affect people's rights — to vote freely, to express themselves, to privacy and to equal treatment.

We are committed to respecting the rights set out in the Constitution of India, including equality before the law, freedom of speech and expression, and protection of life and personal liberty, and to acting in line with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.

2. Scope

This policy applies to everyone who works for or with PollMine Analytics — employees, interns, consultants and contractors — and to all client engagements. We expect our suppliers and partners to respect equivalent standards.

3. Free and fair political participation

  • We respect every citizen's right to form opinions and to vote freely, without pressure, inducement or intimidation.
  • We do not take part in bribery of voters, undue influence, voter suppression, or appeals to vote on the basis of religion, caste, community or language, all of which are prohibited under election law, including the Representation of the People Act, 1951.
  • We do not create or spread misinformation, fabricated endorsements, fake accounts or deceptive synthetic media.
  • We follow applicable Election Commission of India instructions and the Model Code of Conduct in the work we carry out for clients.

4. Equality and non-discrimination

We do not discriminate — in hiring, in the workplace, or in the way our work treats members of the public — on grounds of caste, religion, race, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, place of birth, language or political opinion.

Our research and communication must not target, stereotype or demean any group.

5. Privacy and personal data

We treat privacy as a right. We collect only the personal data we need, use it only for the stated purpose, keep it secure, and honour individuals' rights under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023. We do not profile identifiable individuals by sensitive characteristics for political targeting, and we never use confidential grievance information to build advertising audiences. See our Privacy Notice.

6. Freedom of expression

We support open public debate. We respond to criticism and misinformation with verified facts and corrections, not with harassment, intimidation, impersonation or attempts to silence journalists, critics or members of the public.

7. Fair and safe work

  • No forced or child labour. We do not use forced, bonded or compulsory labour, and we do not employ children, in line with the Child and Adolescent Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986.
  • Fair pay and conditions. We pay at least the applicable minimum wage, on time, and set out working hours, leave and terms in writing, in line with Indian labour law.
  • Safe workplace. We provide safe conditions, including during field work, travel and events.
  • Freedom from harassment. We do not tolerate harassment of any kind. We prevent and address sexual harassment in line with the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013, including an Internal Committee where the law requires one.
  • Freedom of association. We respect the right of workers to associate and to raise concerns without fear of retaliation.

8. Suppliers and partners

We expect vendors, field enumerators, production crews and other partners to meet the standards in this policy. We may decline or end relationships with those who do not.

9. Due diligence

Before taking on an engagement, we consider whether the work could harm people's rights — for example, through misleading communication, misuse of personal data or pressure on voters. We decline work that would require us to breach this policy or the law.

10. Raising concerns

Anyone — staff, clients, suppliers or members of the public — can raise a human rights concern with us at pollmineanalytics@gmail.com. We will treat concerns confidentially, look into them promptly, and take no action against anyone for raising a concern in good faith.

11. Responsibility and review

The leadership of PollMine Analytics is responsible for this policy. We will review it at least once a year and update it as our work and the law change. See also our Code of Conduct and Responsible Practice & Disclosures.