Byline – Sagarika Rastogi
The High Court of Karnataka on 9 December, Tuesday, nullified its own interim order of staying the State government’s policy regarding menstrual leave. Justice Jyoti M had issued an interim stay order after hearing the petitions of the Bangalore Hotels Association and Avirata AFL Connectivity Systems – a private hospitality firm. However, in the afternoon, the judge recalled the order after Karnataka Advocate General Shashi Kiran Shetty implored the court for reconsideration. The AG would argue on the State’s behalf during the hearing on 10 December.
The controversy stems from a government notification issued on 20 November 2025, that mandated all women employees aged between 18 and 52 years in industrial establishments one day of paid menstrual leave per month. This was applicable to all women employees, whether they were full-time employees, contract or outsourced workers. All the establishments registered under the Factories Act, the Karnataka Shops and Commercial Establishments Act, the Plantation Labour Act, the Beedi and Cigar Workers Act, and the Motor Transport Workers Act would be required to grant leave to women.
However, the policy did not sit well with large establishments, who immediately filed a petition against this. They argued that the government lacked any statutory power to mandate menstrual leave via an executive notification and that such a clause does not come under the labour laws. Advocate Prashant BK who appeared for the association, urged the court to let all the companies and their HR departments handle the situation on their own without facing any kind of interference from the state.