After employees, students to get menstrual leave in Karnataka

Belagavi: Two months after it approved the menstrual leave policy granting a one-day leave per month to all working women, the state government will bring in a Bill extending the facility to menstruating students as well. 

The initial draft of the Karnataka Working Women Wellbeing Bill, 2025, which DH has accessed, provides one paid leave per month to all menstruating persons (girls, women and transgender and gender queer persons) working under the government or in private institutions and two days leave per month and consequently a 2% relaxation in the attendance to menstruating students in schools, colleges and universities (both government and private). 

However, the Bill notes that the number of such leaves cannot exceed 12 days per year. The Bill extends the menstrual leave benefits to transgender and gender queer persons too (earlier government orders based on the menstrual leave policy were confined to women).

According to the Bill, menstruating persons can work from home if they do not want to avail of the leave facility. The Bill is expected to be tabled during the ongoing Winter Session of the Legislature in Belagavi. 

The Bill proposes to institute the Karnataka Women Wellbeing Authority to carry out purposes of the Bill.

The chairperson of the Karnataka Commission for Women will be the ex-officio chairperson of the authority, while four government representatives (ex-officio members) and two women activists (nominated) will also be a part of it.

The authority should meet once in three months and redress grievances of menstruating persons.

Labour officers in each district shall hold spot-inspections and periodically submit their inquiry report to the authority.

The Bill mandates the authority to hold inquiries following the principles of “natural justice”, giving full and equal opportunities to both complainant and respondent. It says the orders passed by the Authority shall be “final”.  

Penal provisions

Section 9 of the draft Bill introduces penal provisions against employers who “ill-treat” or “discriminate” or “treat a menstruating person as an untouchable” with a penalty that may extend up to Rs 5,000.

After approving the menstrual leave policy on October 9, the government issued two orders — a November 12 order granted menstrual leave to women working in the private sector, while the December 2 order extended the benefits to women working in the government sector too. 

Why Bill when GOs passed?

The government’s decision comes at a time when the Karnataka High Court stayed the government’s November 12 order granting one-day menstrual leave per month to women aged 18-52 working in private establishments.

The decision to introduce the Bill is being interpreted as a move to provide additional legal scrutiny to the policy.