The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has asked the Tamil Nadu government to explain what action it has taken on a public interest petition seeking menstrual leave for women employees in government, public sector and private establishments.
The petition, filed by Narmadha, said women employees often work through menstrual pain and feel compelled to perform on par with male colleagues without disclosing their discomfort. It noted that states such as Karnataka, Kerala, Bihar and Odisha have practices of providing menstrual leave, while Tamil Nadu does not have a paid menstrual leave policy.
Arguing that menstrual leave is a public health and labour welfare measure rather than a privilege, the petitioner sought an interim direction to constitute a state-level high-level committee to study feasibility. She also said she had submitted a representation to the Chief Secretary urging a policy for full paid menstrual leave across government departments, public sector units, government educational institutions and private companies.
A Division Bench of Justices C.V. Karthikeyan and R. Sakthivel heard the matter. The government informed the court that a committee has been formed to frame rules and to incorporate provisions in labour-related rules, and sought time to file its response.
The court directed the state to file, by August 24, details of the steps taken on the relief sought and particulars of the members of the committee constituted by the government.
