Karnataka Amends Shops Act, Omitting Specific Night-Shift Safety Clauses for Women Employees

The Karnataka government has notified the Karnataka Shops and Commercial Establishments (Amendment) Act, 2026, which removes key operational safeguards previously required for women employees working night shifts. The amendment, which received the Governor's assent and came into effect upon gazette publication, omits clauses 25(1)(h) through 25(1)(o) of the principal 1961 legislation. The omitted clauses mandated specific obligations for employers engaging women between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m., including mandatory background verification of drivers, designated travel-desk monitoring, route planning to prevent a female worker from being the first pickup or last drop, supervisor vehicle inspections, and security guard deployment. While general workplace safety and sexual harassment laws remain applicable, the removal of these explicit transportation and surveillance mandates has raised concerns among workforce advocates. The Karnataka State IT/ITeS Employees Union (KITU) strongly condemned the amendment, arguing that removing mandatory transport and safety conditions treats worker security as a mere compliance burden rather than a fundamental right. The union highlighted that thousands of women work overnight shifts in Bengaluru's technology and business process sectors, urging the state government to immediately withdraw the amendment and reinstate comprehensive safety protections.