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Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →The Karnataka High Court’s December 2025 interim stay was followed by a later order: on April 15, 2026, the Court directed strict and faithful implementation of the State’s existing menstrual-leave policy while proposed legislation remains pending. The policy set out in the November 12, 2025 Government Order provides eligible employees in specified registered establishments one paid day per month, up to 12 days a year. The April ruling does not, by itself, make every provision of the proposed bill law.
What is the current position on Karnataka’s menstrual-leave policy?
The latest court event established here is the Karnataka High Court’s April 15, 2026 direction to implement the existing Government Order strictly and faithfully, pending formal enactment of the proposed legislation. The Court also directed the State to issue guidelines, circulars and administrative instructions to support consistent implementation.
This came after a December 9, 2025 report that the High Court had stayed the State notification following a challenge by the Bangalore Hotels Association. That interim stay is an important part of the chronology, but it is not the last development: the April judgment later directed implementation. The precise effect of any subsequent government circular, enactment or court proceeding is not established here, so employees and employers should check for later official notices before relying on a particular operational procedure.
| Date | Development | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| November 12, 2025 | Government Order No. KAI 466 LET 2023 set out the policy. | One paid day per month, subject to eligibility and establishment coverage. |
| December 9, 2025 | Bar and Bench reported an interim stay after a challenge by the Bangalore Hotels Association. | An interim court development, not the final point in the chronology. |
| April 15, 2026 | The High Court directed strict and faithful implementation pending formal enactment of the proposed bill. | The State was also directed to issue guidelines and administrative instructions. |
Who is covered by the November 2025 order?
The Government Order applies to permanent, contract and outsourced women employees aged 18 to 52 working in registered establishments covered by the specified labour laws. Its listed laws are:
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- Factories Act, 1948
- Karnataka Shops and Commercial Establishments Act, 1961
- Plantation Labour Act, 1951
- Beedi and Cigar Workers (Conditions of Employment) Act, 1966
- Motor Transport Workers Act, 1961
This is not a blanket statement that every workplace or worker is automatically covered. In her April petition, Chandravva Hanamant Gokavi sought implementation in Belagavi, including for hotel and small commercial-unit workers, and consistent guidance. The Court discussed implementation across sectors and outreach to unorganised workers, while recognizing that some workers may remain outside the Government Order’s direct scope. Its discussion of broader implementation does not erase the order’s specified establishment coverage.
How much leave does the existing policy provide?
The November 12, 2025 Government Order provides one paid day per month, capped at 12 paid days in a year, for employees who meet its eligibility and coverage terms. The day must be used within the same month; unused leave cannot be carried into a later month. The order says a medical certificate is not required.
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How is the proposed bill different from the existing order?
The High Court judgment describes the proposed Karnataka Menstrual Leave and Hygiene Bill, 2025, separately from the November Government Order. As reproduced in the judgment, the bill proposes up to two days per month for menstruating persons in public and private establishments, alongside provisions concerning students and menstrual hygiene at workplaces. Those are proposed bill terms, not the one-day entitlement in the existing order. The Court’s direction to implement the order pending formal enactment does not establish that every proposed bill clause has already taken effect.
| Issue | November 12, 2025 Government Order | Proposed bill as described in the April 15, 2026 judgment |
|---|---|---|
| Leave amount | One paid day per month, up to 12 days per year. | Up to two days per month, as proposed. |
| Who and where | Eligible women employees aged 18 to 52 in specified registered establishments. | Described as applying to menstruating persons in public and private establishments. |
| Additional provisions | The stated entitlement and conditions are in the Government Order. | Proposed provisions also address students and workplace menstrual hygiene. |
| Legal status in the cited materials | The existing order that the Court directed the State to implement pending formal enactment. | Proposed legislation; the judgment does not make all of its provisions effective law. |
What did the High Court direct the State to do?
In Smt. Chandravva Hanamant Gokavi v. State of Karnataka, decided April 15, 2026, the Court directed strict and faithful implementation of the existing policy pending formal enactment of the proposed legislation. It also directed the State to operationalize the policy through suitable guidelines, circulars and administrative instructions so that implementation is uniform and rigorous.
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The Court linked menstrual health and dignity to constitutional protections, including Article 21, and reasoned that recognizing biological differences in matters of health and dignity need not violate equality. Justice M. Nagaprasanna wrote: “Men and women stand equal in the eyes of the law; yet, they are biologically distinct. To acknowledge such differences, particularly in matters concerning health, dignity, and bodily autonomy, is not to transgress the guarantee of equality, but to give it substantive meaning.” The judgment also states: “The call for menstrual leave, is not a plea for privilege, but an assertion of dignity, fairness and humane understanding within the spaces women inhabit.” These are the Court’s statements and reasoning, not a medical finding or a resolution of every implementation question.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What should employees and employers check?
- Confirm coverage: Check whether the establishment is registered and covered under one of the laws named in the Government Order, and whether the employee meets its stated eligibility terms.
- Check current instructions: The April judgment called for State guidelines and administrative instructions. Because later implementation notices are not established here, consult official Karnataka government notices for the latest directions.
- Keep the policy and bill separate: Do not assume the proposed bill’s two-day provision or other clauses are already part of the operative one-day order.
The Department of Labour order’s background records 75 opinions on the proposed policy: 56 supported it and 19 opposed it. Those consultation figures do not establish the policy’s effects on health, productivity or workplace outcomes.
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Sources
- Karnataka High Court, Smt. Chandravva Hanamant Gokavi v. State of Karnataka, April 15, 2026
- Government of Karnataka, Government Order No. KAI 466 LET 2023, November 12, 2025
- Bar and Bench report on the December 9, 2025 interim stay
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