Bengaluru
The Bangalore Hotels Association (BHA) has approached the Karnataka High Court against the state government’s recent directive making menstrual leave mandatory for women employees across various sectors.
The association questioned the basis of the order, noting that the state itself has not extended such leave to women working in government departments.
On November 12, 2025, the Labour Department issued a notification requiring all establishments under the Factories Act, Shops and Commercial Establishments Act, Plantations Labour Act, Beedi and Cigar Workers Act, and Motor Transport Workers Act to grant one day of menstrual leave per month, totaling 12 days annually. The directive applies to permanent, contract, and outsourced women employees.
The BHA argued that none of these laws empower the government to mandate menstrual leave and claimed that leave policies should fall within the internal administrative domain of individual organisations. The association also called the order “discriminatory,” pointing out that the state, despite being one of the largest employers of women, has not implemented a similar provision for its own workforce.
Advocate B.K. Prashanth is representing the BHA in the case. P.C. Rao, honorary president of the association, said the petition is expected to be listed soon before a bench headed by Justice Jyoti Moolimani.
The challenge highlights tensions between employee welfare measures and organisational autonomy, as the state government moves to expand women-centric benefits while businesses question legal authority and uniformity in implementation.