The Delhi government has approved changes in policy, allowing women to participate and work through the night. In a landmark decision aimed at boosting workforce participation, the Delhi government has brought necessary changes to the law that will allow women to work night shifts in shops and commercial establishments for the first time since 1954.
To ensure that women can approach the idea without any apprehension, the government has proposed a stringent safety framework. The framework will include compulsory transportation, comprehensive CCTV surveillance, and the deployment of female security personnel, among a slew of other measures. To further ensure harmonious implementation within the work culture, the government will provide several legal safeguards, such as mandatory consent from employees and protection against dismissal for refusing to work night shifts.
Last year, the Supreme Court also categorically rejected the blanket ban on restrictions against women working night shifts. Instead, the apex court emphasised the state’s responsibility to ensure their safety.
The decision mirrors similar policy shifts in states such as Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, and Haryana, where women are permitted to work night shifts under regulated conditions. The ruling in Delhi is part of a broader push for governance and labour reform aimed at improving the city’s ease of doing business.
Sections 14, 15, and 16 of the Delhi Shops and Establishments Act, 1954, prohibit women from working between 9 PM and 7 AM during summers, and between 8 PM and 8 AM in winters. The amendments will remove these restrictions and allow women to legally work at night across retail outlets, salons, showrooms, call centres, consultancy firms, IT companies, and other commercial establishments governed by the Act.
Officials have further stated that female workers can be assigned night shifts only with written consent and that employers must comply with a set of mandatory safety and welfare provisions. These will include secure transport, female guards, CCTV monitoring, adequate lighting around boarding points, clean restrooms and lockers, and the formation of internal complaints committees under the POSH Act.
