A Division Bench comprising Justices C.V. Karthikeyan and R. Sakthivel heard a public‑interest litigation filed by Madurai resident M. Narmatha and ordered the committee, set up by the Tamil Nadu government, to submit its recommendations on a paid menstrual‑leave framework.
Narmatha’s petition seeks a statutory, paid menstrual‑leave scheme covering government departments, public‑sector undertakings, government‑run educational institutions, allied establishments and, where feasible, private entities, arguing that the absence of such a policy amounts to indirect discrimination in violation of Article 14 of the Constitution.
The petitioner highlighted that existing leave provisions—casual and sick leave—are ill‑suited to a recurring monthly condition such as dysmenorrhea, forcing women to exhaust their limited leave entitlements or endure wage loss and pain, a burden not shared by male colleagues.
The court adjourned the matter for further hearing on 31 January 2027, giving the committee time to compile its report and present draft rules for the bench’s consideration.
If enacted, a paid menstrual‑leave policy could affect lakhs of working women in the state, aligning Tamil Nadu with a growing number of jurisdictions that recognise menstrual leave as a public‑health and labour‑welfare measure.