The Bangalore Hotels Association has moved the Karnataka High Court challenging the state’s mandatory menstrual leave policy, arguing it creates an uneven standard. The petition questions why similar leave has not been provided to women employees working in government departments.
The Bangalore Hotels Association (BHA) filed a petition with the Karnataka High Court against the state’s recent decision to mandate menstrual leave for women employees across various sectors.
The association challenges the foundation of the order, pointing out that the state government has not provided similar leave for women working in government positions.
Earlier, On November 12, 2025, the Labour Department issued a notification requiring all establishments governed by the Factories Act of 1948, the Karnataka Shops and Commercial Establishments Act of 1961.
The Plantations Labour Act of 1951, the Beedi and Cigar Workers Act of 1966, and the Motor Transport Workers Act of 1961 to grant one day of menstrual leave per month, totaling 12 days a year, to all women employees, including permanent, contract, and outsourced staff.
The BHA’s petition argued that none of these laws authorize the government to mandate menstrual leave and emphasized that leave policies should remain in the internal administrative purview of individual organizations.
It further described the order as “discriminatory” and noted that the state, despite being one of the largest employers of women, has yet to implement a comparable provision for its own workforce.
Advocate B K Prashanth is representing the association in this case.
According to P C Rao, honorary president of the BHA, the petition is anticipated to be listed soon before a bench led by Justice Jyoti Moolimani.