New Delhi, December 6, 2025: On the fifth day of Parliament’s winter session, Supriya Sule, Lok Sabha MP from the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), introduced a private member’s bill in the lower house seeking to legally guarantee employees the right to ignore work-related calls and emails beyond office hours. The legislation, titled the Right to Disconnect Bill, 2025, aims to protect employees from the increasing pressure of always being “on-call” in today’s digital work environment.

What is the Right to Disconnect Bill, 2025?

The Right to Disconnect Bill proposes the establishment of an Employees’ Welfare Authority that would confer upon workers the legal right not to entertain work-related electronic communication beyond official hours or on holidays.

According to Sule, the bill is designed to foster better quality of life, promote a healthier work-life balance, and reduce burnout caused by constant connectivity in modern workplaces. She emphasized that digital culture today has significantly blurred the boundaries between professional and personal life, and legislation is needed to ensure workers can “disconnect” without fear of reprisal.

The bill is part of a broader employee welfare initiative by Sule, who also introduced two other private member’s bills on Friday:

1. Paternity and Paternal Benefits Bill, 2025 – Provides legal paid paternal leave for fathers to participate in their child’s early development.
2. Code on Social Security (Amendment) Bill, 2025 – Recognizes platform-based gig workers as a distinct category and ensures minimum wages, regulated hours, social security, fair working conditions, and equitable contracts.

Other Employee Welfare Bills

Alongside Sule, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor introduced a private member’s bill aimed at preventing employee burnout. It proposes amendments to the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020, and seeks to limit working hours, legally secure the right to disconnect, and establish grievance and mental health support systems. Tharoor cited alarming statistics, noting that 51% of India’s workforce works over 49 hours per week and 78% report burnout, highlighting cases like the tragic death of Anna Sebastian Perayil as evidence of the urgency for reform.

Can the Right to Disconnect Bill Pass?

It is important to note that the Right to Disconnect Bill is a private member’s bill. In India, private member’s bills are introduced by MPs who are not part of the government, while bills introduced by ministers are known as government bills.

Historically, private member’s bills rarely become law in India. Most are withdrawn after the government responds, and only a handful have been enacted. The passage of such bills depends on government support, parliamentary debate, and consensus among MPs, which is often difficult to achieve.

Therefore, while the Right to Disconnect Bill, 2025 addresses a pressing issue in employee welfare and digital work-life balance, its chances of clearing Parliament are uncertain unless the government actively backs it or incorporates its provisions into a broader labor reform bill.

In essence, the bill is a symbolic step toward acknowledging employee rights in the digital era, even if it may not immediately become law. It also opens the door for further debates on labor laws, workplace mental health, and the evolving definition of work in India.