The Karnataka High Court has temporarily stopped a government order that required all industrial workplaces in the state to give women one paid menstrual leave day every month. The interim stay order was issued on Tuesday after several groups challenged the government’s decision.

The main  petitioners were the Bangalore Hotels’ Association and Avirata AFL Connectivity Systems Ltd. They argued that the Karnataka government did not have the legal power to introduce such a rule through an executive order. According to them, laws like the Factories Act, 1948, do not allow the state to impose this type of leave without proper consultation or following the correct legal process.

The Bangalore Hotels’ Association also said the order was unfair. They pointed out that the Karnataka government itself had not given similar menstrual leave to women working in government departments at the time the order was announced. They questioned why private industries were being forced to implement a rule that the government had not applied to its own employees.

What the Karnataka government had ordered

In November, the Karnataka government issued a notification stating that all women between 18 and 52 years of age working in permanent, contractual or outsourced jobs must be allowed one day of paid menstrual leave every month. This rule applied to women working in several sectors, including factories, shops and commercial establishments, plantations, beedi and cigar units, and motor transport services.

Later, on December 2, the government also extended the same benefit to women working in state government departments. The order said that menstruating women employees do not need a medical certificate to take this leave. It also mentioned that menstrual leave must be recorded separately and cannot be mixed with other types of leave.

What happens next?

Since the High Court has now put the November 20 order on hold, the rule will not be implemented for now in private industries. The state government has not yet responded to the court’s interim decision. A final decision will be taken after the court hears the matter in detail. This case has created a major debate in Karnataka about menstrual leave, workplace rights for women, and how such policies should be introduced legally.