Right to Disconnect Bill 2025 Introduced in Parliament: A Step Towards Work-Life Balance

In a move aimed at protecting employees from digital burnout, NCP MP Supriya Sule introduced the Right to Disconnect Bill, 2025 in the Lok Sabha on December 6, 2025. The bill seeks to legally empower employees to refuse work-related calls, emails, and messages after office hours or on holidays, without facing disciplinary action. The bill comes at a time when remote work and digital communication have blurred the lines between personal and professional life, leading to increasing cases of telepressure, stress, and sleep deprivation.

What is the Right to Disconnect Bill?

The Right to Disconnect Bill, 2025 aims to establish clear boundaries between work and personal life by granting employees the legal right to disconnect from office communication outside official work hours.

Key Provisions

• Employees cannot be forced to respond to official communication after office hours or on holidays.
• No disciplinary action can be taken against employees who choose not to respond.
• The rule applies to all forms of communication—calls, texts, emails, video meetings, and more.
• Employers and employees must mutually agree on rules for emergencies.
• Overtime pay at normal wage rate is suggested if an employee chooses to work after hours.

Proposed Penalties

To ensure compliance, the bill suggests that organisations violating these provisions can be penalised with a fine amounting to 1% of the total remuneration paid to the employee. This serves as a financial deterrent to discourage after-hours demands.

Emergency Communication Rules

The bill is not rigid—it allows flexibility for genuine emergencies. Employers and employees can agree on specific terms for emergency communication, ensuring that operational needs do not override employee rights.

A committee may be formed in workplaces to define these terms, striking a balance between company obligations and worker welfare.

Why the Bill is Important

The accompanying statement with the bill highlights the negative effects of digital overreach, citing global research on,

• Sleep loss and fatigue
• Emotional exhaustion and anxiety
• Telepressure—the stress of feeling obligated to respond immediately
• “Info-obesity”, or the overload of digital communication

India currently follows a 48-hour work week, one of the longest globally. The bill acknowledges that digital tools, while enhancing productivity, have led to an “always available” culture, endangering mental health.

Background: A Renewed Attempt

This is not the first time Supriya Sule has raised the issue. A similar version of the Right to Disconnect Bill was introduced in 2019, but it did not progress further. With the rise in remote working and tech-enabled workplaces since the pandemic, the 2025 version of the bill reflects renewed urgency and growing public support for workplace reforms.

Global Context

Countries like France, Italy, and the Philippines have already passed similar laws recognizing the right to disconnect as a labour right. France, for instance, made it mandatory in 2017 for companies with more than 50 employees to negotiate after-hours communication policies.

India’s proposal thus aligns with an emerging global trend focused on protecting employee mental health and personal time in the digital era.

Key Takeaways

• Bill Introduced By: Supriya Sule, NCP MP
• Date: December 6, 2025
• Type: Private Member Bill
• Objective: Protect workers’ right to ignore work-related communication after hours
• Penalty for Violation: 1% of total employee remuneration
• Includes: Calls, texts, emails, video calls
• Emergency Clause: Permitted through mutual agreement