The High Court of Karnataka has stayed the State government’s November 20 notification mandating various establishments to grant one-day additional leave per month for women employees, aged between 18 and 52 years, during their menstrual cycle.

Justice Jyoti M. passed the interim order on Tuesday (December 9, 2025) on two separate petitions, filed by Bangalore Hotels’ Association and Avirata AFL Connectivity Systems Ltd, Bengaluru.

Petitioner’s argument

The primary ground on which the petitioners have challenged the validity of the notification was that there exists no provision in the concerned statutes to grant leave during menstrual cycle and hence the government had no power to introduce additional leave to various establishments, registered under various labour laws, through a no

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