Karnataka readies legislation to provide menstrual leave, to include students and transpersons
Mangalore Today News Network
Bengaluru, December 10, 2025: In the first-ever such legislation proposed in the country, the Karnataka government has readied the Karnataka Women Wellbeing Leave Bill, 2025, which provides menstrual leave not only for working women in the formal sector but also for female students in educational institutions, transgenders, ASHAs, anganwadi, and midday meal personnel, and those working in mines.
An earlier Government Order had covered the private sector, and last week the government brought its workers under its ambit. Instead of 18 as a minimum age criteria prescribed earlier, the Bill does not propose any lower minimum age limit, but the upper age limit has been capped at 52 or till menopause.
For students
While the working women will get one day leave per month, the menstrual leave for students will be up to two days in a month and consequently 2% relaxation in the attendance for menstrual issues in educational institutions.
If the employee does not chose to avail of the leave, she will be entitled for work from home if the facility is available. Not mandating a doctor’s certificate, the leave can be availed through a request on e-mail.
The proposed Bill is likely to be cleared in the Cabinet on December 11, following which it will be introduced in the legislature, sources said. This will be the most comprehensive legislation proposed so far in the country.
When asked if the Bill was in response to the ongoing case in the Karnataka High Court, sources said that the government was working on the Bill for some time now.
Among other things, the Bill proposes setting up Karnataka Women Well Being Authority, which will be headed by the chairperson of the Karnataka State Commission for Women to redress grievances arising out of complaints.
Labour officer in the district will be the enforcement officer.
Penalty clause
A penalty of upto ₹5,000 for each contravention of the provision has been proposed for those who deny menstrual leave, ill treat or discriminate against menstruating women.
What various categories mean in the Bill
Educational Institution means any primary, secondary or higher secondary school, junior college/pre-university college, degree college, polytechnic, academy, university, institution deemed to be university, training centre, tuition/coaching centre and includes any other institution imparting education and vocational training, whether it is Government, aided or unaided.
Menstruating person includes girls, women and transgender persons.
Private Establishment means and includes a factory, a mine, a plantation, an establishment wherein persons are employed for the exhibition of equestrian, acrobatics and other performances, cinema and drama theatres, a shop, a motor transport, a concern doing the business or trade or offering service, a company, a firm, a cooperative or any other society an association. A trust an agency, an institution. An organisation, a union, a hospital, a clinic, a diagnostic centre, a hotel, or such other establishment, whether registered or not, belonging to or concerning one or more individuals, families, body corporates, etc.
Services under the Government include the services in the departments of the State Government and in the local Self- Governments. Government Corporations, Government Companies, Government Societies, Public Sector Undertakings, Statutory Boards and Authorities and the similarly placed Instrumentalities of the State. Services include permanent, casual, contract, probationary, part-time, honorary etc.
Transgender person means a person whose gender does not match with the gender assigned to that person at birth and includes trans-man or trans-woman (whether or not such person has undergone Sex Reassignment Surgery or hormone therapy or laser therapy or such other therapy), person with intersex variations, genderqueer and person having such socio-cultural identities as kinner, hijra, aravani and jogta.