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Right to Disconnect Bill Introduced in Lok Sabha to Curb After-Hours Work Contact

As a private member initiative, its fate likely hinges on government support.

Overview

  • NCP MP Supriya Sule tabled the Right to Disconnect Bill, 2025, granting employees the option to ignore work calls and emails outside official hours and on holidays.
  • The proposal states that staff are not obliged to respond after hours and cannot face disciplinary action for declining such contact.
  • It calls for an Employees’ Welfare Authority to confer the right, conduct a baseline study on out‑of‑hours digital use, and guide implementation.
  • Companies with more than 10 workers would be required to negotiate terms with employees or unions for after‑hours work and provide overtime at the normal wage rate.
  • Non‑compliance would draw a penalty equal to 1% of employees’ total remuneration, and Congress MP Shashi Tharoor separately introduced a related amendment bill to secure similar protections.