HC dismisses plea for two-day weekly off for all public, private sector workers - The HinduPublished - November 06, 2026 08:57 pm IST - MADURAIThe Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has dismissed a petition that sought a direction to the State government to formulate and enforce a uniform policy guaranteeing mandatory two-day weekly off for all categories of public and private sector workers across the State.The court was hearing the petition filed by S. Bhaskar of Batlagundu in Dindigul district, who said forcing lakhs of employees in public and private sectors to work six days a week affected their fundamental rights and health.He said the government employees enjoyed a structured five-day work week with a mandatory two-day weekly off. In contrast, lakhs of employees in the private sector were forced to work six days a week, often exceeding 10 to 12 hours of work daily, suffering severe physical and mental burnout.He said he had scientifically analysed and designed a ‘Rotational Labour Sharing Model’ which would create a structural workforce. He sought a direction to the government to constitute a high-level expert committee, comprising industrial, finance, and management experts, to examine the feasibility of the ‘Rotational Labour Sharing Model’.A Division Bench of Justices P. Velmurugan and K.K. Ramakrishnan said the relief sought was purely the prerogative of the State and only it could take such a policy decision.Published - November 06, 2026 08:57 pm ISTSign in to unlock member-only benefits!Access 10 free stories every monthSave stories to read laterAccess to comment on every storySign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single clickGet notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products${ ind + 1 } ${ device }Last active - ${ la }