The Bangalore Hotels Association (BHA) has moved the Karnataka High Court against the state government’s recent decision mandating one day of menstrual leave every month for women employees across multiple sectors. The petition argues that the Labour Department’s directive has no backing in the statutes it cites and unfairly imposes obligations on private establishments that the government has not implemented for its own staff.
Background of the Government Order
On 12 November 2025, the Labour Department issued a notification directing all establishments covered under the Factories Act, 1948, the Karnataka Shops and Commercial Establishments Act, 1961, the Plantations Labour Act, 1951, the Beedi and Cigar Workers Act, 1966, and the Motor Transport Workers Act, 1961, to provide one day of menstrual leave per month — amounting to 12 days a year.
The mandate applies to all categories of women employees, including permanent, contractual and outsourced workers.
Grounds of Challenge
The BHA contends that none of the laws referenced in the notification authorise the government to mandate menstrual leave, calling it an intrusion into the internal administrative and leave-policy framework of individual organisations.
The petition also labels the directive “discriminatory,” pointing out that the State has not provided similar menstrual leave benefits to women employed in government departments, despite being one of the largest employers of women in Karnataka.
Advocate B K Prashanth is representing the association.
Next Steps in Court
According to P C Rao, honorary president of the BHA, the matter is expected to come up soon before a bench headed by Justice Jyoti Moolimani.
