Which Indian States Require CCTV to Run Women at Night (2026 Tracker)
Yes — most Indian states now require CCTV to run women on the night shift, but the exact rule varies by state. India's OSH (Central) Rules, 2026 ask for CCTV "on the way to" toilets, washrooms and drinking water for women working 7 PM–6 AM, and they bind central-sphere establishments; for a private factory, the state sets the conditions. Maharashtra and Karnataka name ~45-day retention scoped to the women's shift; Haryana's factory notification and Uttar Pradesh's rule 76 name no retention period. Check your state below before you run the shift.
If you have ever searched this and been told "it depends on your state," you are not wrong — and that is exactly why we maintain a dated table instead of a slogan. The night shift is not a compliance trap; it is a door. A large share of India's manufacturing capacity sits idle after dusk because the second and third shifts are short of legally-clearable labour. In most states the law now says: install the safeguards, get written consent, and you may run women at night. CCTV is usually the cheapest item on that checklist. Get it right once and the shift is yours.
Key points
- The condition is real, but it is a permission, not a ban. State notifications say you may run women 7 PM–6 AM if you meet the safeguards. CCTV is one of them.
- CCTV is nearly universal in these notifications; retention length is not. Only some states name a number (commonly 45 days). Where a state names no number, do not assume one — ask your factory inspectorate.
- The scope in Maharashtra is narrow. Rule 102-B's CCTV/retention duty is written around women's night shifts and their access routes/transport, not as a factory-wide surveillance mandate.
- Everything is in transition. The OSH Code, 2020 came into force on 21 November 2025 and repealed the Factories Act, 1948 (s.143(1)). Rules and notifications made under the repealed Act remain in force "to the extent they are not contrary to the provisions of this Code" (s.143(3)), and states are notifying their own rules under the Code: Uttar Pradesh did so on 27 Aug 2026. Each row below names the instrument and its date.
- Consent and transport matter as much as cameras. Every state pairs CCTV with written consent, safe transport (often GPS-tracked), lighting, women security/supervisors, and a working Internal Complaints Committee.
State-by-state tracker (dated, sourced)
The table below is scoped to the CCTV question for women's night-shift work. "Retention" means the minimum footage-storage window a state's rule names. Where a state requires cameras but names no number, we say so rather than guess. A dash means this tracker gives no figure for that cell.
| State | CCTV required for women night shift? | Retention | Other key conditions | Status / notified date | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maharashtra | Yes — Rule 102-B, scoped to women's night shift (7 PM–6 AM), workplace + access routes | 45 days | Written consent retained 3 yrs; min. 2 women on duty per location; safe transport home-to-factory; grievance meeting every 8 weeks; well-lit toilets/exits | Maharashtra Factories (Second Amendment) Rules, 2025 — notified 3 Oct 2025 | SCC Online, King Stubb & Kasiva |
| Gujarat | Yes — CCTV in and around the factory | — | Women in batches of ≥10; women security at entry/exit; transport with female guard, CCTV + GPS; ≥1/3 supervisory staff women on night shift; 12-hr rest on shift change; written consent | Factories (Gujarat Amendment) Ordinance, 2025 — promulgated 1 Jul 2025 | JSA, Khaitan & Co |
| Karnataka | Yes — CCTV inside the factory, around it and wherever women move in the course of work; CCTV + GPS in every transport vehicle | ≥45 days | Women in batches of ≥10; women ≥1/3 of night supervisors; written consent; driver screening; 12-hr rest on shift change | Factories (Karnataka Amendment) Act, 2023, s.66 as substituted — in force 7 Aug 2023 (the earlier list: Notification LD 61 KaBaSe 2015, 20 Nov 2019). The Factories Act was repealed from 21 Nov 2025 | 2023 Act, Gazette copy, 2019 notification, signed scan |
| Haryana | Yes — CCTV cameras inside and around the factory and wherever women move; in vehicles, CCTV and GPS "may" be provided (optional) | None named | Women in batches of ≥4; written consent (incl. guards and supervisors); transport with security guards incl. a female guard; at least one female guard in the factory; POSH compliance; online self-certification within 2 weeks of start | Notification No. 11/6/2022-4Lab — 8 May 2025, re-issued 4 Jul 2025; "valid for one year from the date of issuance of the notification". The 13 Oct 2025 notification (No. 11/26/2025-4Lab) covers shops and commercial establishments, not factories | Factory notification, Gazette scan, Shops notification, Gazette scan |
| Uttar Pradesh | Yes — CCTV surveillance "on the way to" toilets, washrooms, changing rooms and drinking water (rule 76(e)); no CCTV duty on the shop floor or in vehicles | None named | Written consent; transport at the establishment's expense; ≥4 women per premises or department; intimation to the Inspector-cum-Facilitator with at least 7 days for verification; monthly report | UP OSH and Working Conditions Rules, 2026, rule 76 — Gazette 27 Aug 2026. The earlier factory notification No. 647 of 27 May 2022 had no CCTV condition | UP OSH Rules 2026, Gazette copy |
| Rajasthan | Yes — CCTV in premises + transport, with GPS tracker | — | Shops & Establishments route; 3-yr exemption; written consent; safe transport | Notification dated 7 Mar 2024 (effective 19 Mar 2024, 3 yrs) | AZB & Partners |
| Tamil Nadu | — | — | Shops & Establishments: women 8 PM–6 AM with consent; safe transport; POSH; ≤10.5 hrs/day. Round-the-clock permission extended 3 yrs from 5 Jun 2025. Factories: draft amendments to the TN Factories Rules (1 Oct 2025) propose ≥10 women or 1/3 of night-shift staff, whichever is greater — see the Tamil Nadu page | Multiple orders; latest S&E extension Jun 2025 | JSA, Nishith Desai |
| Andhra Pradesh | Yes — CCTV at boarding/alighting points (by establishment or police) | — | Written consent; safe transport; well-lit passages/facilities; driver bio-data + pre-employment screening | Exemption route | AZB & Partners, Nishith Desai |
| Telangana | Not named in the cited exemption — transport must have GPS tracking and security | — | Women 8:30 PM–6 AM; written consent; free transport with security; ≥5 women together; rest rooms, crèche, ladies' toilets | Exemption route | greytHR, AZB & Partners |
| National baseline (central sphere) | Yes — CCTV surveillance "on the way to" toilets, washrooms and drinking water (rule 83(d)) for women before 6 AM or after 7 PM; binds central-sphere establishments, not a private factory | None named | Written consent; safe pick-up/drop from residence; well-lit workplace and passages; emergency numbers displayed; POSH compliance | OSH (Central) Rules, 2026, G.S.R. 345(E) — notified 8 May 2026 | Gazette of India |
This tracker reflects notifications reported as of July 2026; the Karnataka, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and national rows were re-checked against the gazette texts on 14 Oct 2026. States revise these orders frequently and many operate on annual-renewal exemptions, so confirm the live notification with your State Factory Inspectorate / Labour Commissioner before running the shift.
What this means for your floor
Read the table for your state, then act on three things:
- Cameras where the law looks. In Maharashtra the duty is framed around the women's night shift, their movement paths, and transport — not the whole plant. Cover entry/exit, walkways to toilets and rest rooms, boarding/alighting points, and the vehicle. That is a handful of well-placed cameras, not a re-wire.
- Retention you can prove. Where a state names a number (45 days in Maharashtra and Karnataka), your recorder must hold that window and let you export a clip on request. Where the text names none, set your own period, document it, and ask your inspectorate — do not under-provision storage on a guess.
- Footage is personal data. Recording women workers pulls you into India's DPDP obligations too: signage, one stated purpose, minimisation, and access control. See DPDP and worker CCTV in Indian factories so the same cameras that unlock the shift don't create a second liability.
For the broader legal picture — consent, transport, ICC, and how the CCTV clause fits the full safeguard list — see our pillar guide on the women's night-shift CCTV requirement for factories.
Frequently asked questions
Which Indian states legally require CCTV to run women on night shifts in 2026? Maharashtra requires CCTV with a 45-day retention window, scoped to women's night-shift work, and Karnataka's 2023 Act listed the same 45 days. Gujarat's 2025 ordinance requires CCTV in and around the factory and in transport vehicles. Haryana's factory notification requires CCTV inside and around the plant and names no retention period. Uttar Pradesh's rule 76 (2026) requires CCTV on the way to toilets, washrooms and other amenities, again with no period. Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh name CCTV for premises and/or transport. Nationally, the OSH (Central) Rules, 2026 ask for CCTV "on the way to" toilets, washrooms and drinking water; they bind central-sphere establishments and name no retention period.
How long must I keep the footage? Where a state names a number, it is commonly 45 days (Maharashtra, Karnataka). Several states require cameras without publishing a retention figure. Do not assume 45 days everywhere — confirm with your State Factory Inspectorate. Note also that DPDP pushes the other way: keep footage only as long as your stated purpose needs, then auto-overwrite.
Is CCTV a factory-wide requirement or only for the night shift? In Maharashtra (Rule 102-B) the CCTV and retention duty is written around the women's night shift, their access routes, and transport — not the entire factory at all hours. Uttar Pradesh's rule 76 is narrower still: the route to toilets, washrooms and other amenities. Karnataka and Haryana ask for cameras inside and around the factory where women work at night. Read your specific notification; scope drives both camera count and cost.
The Factories Act was repealed by the OSH Code — are these state notifications still valid? The OSH Code, 2020 came into force on 21 November 2025 and repealed the Factories Act, 1948 (s.143(1)). Under s.143(3), rules and notifications made under the repealed Act "remain in force to the extent they are not contrary to the provisions of this Code". Section 43 lets women work before 6 a.m. and after 7 p.m. with their consent, on conditions the State prescribes for a factory, and states are now notifying those conditions in their own OSH rules (Uttar Pradesh: rule 76, 27 Aug 2026).
Do I need consent and transport too, or just cameras? Cameras alone are never enough. Every state pairs CCTV with written, voluntary consent (never a condition of employment), safe transport — often GPS-tracked with a female guard — adequate lighting, women security/supervisors, and a functioning Internal Complaints Committee under the POSH Act, 2013.
Before you run the shift
The camera line item is small; the payoff — a legally clearable second or third shift — is not. Two ways to move:
- Size the win. Use our guard-and-shift ROI calculator to compare the cost of compliant cameras and transport against the output an unlocked night shift adds.
- Get a camera plan. Tell us your state and floor layout and we'll map exactly where the cameras go to satisfy your notification — request a camera plan. Mama's AI reads those same feeds afterward, so the cameras you install for compliance become a second brain watching the floor at night, not just a DVR blinking in a cabin.
This tracker is general information, current to July 2026, not legal advice. Night-shift notifications change often and many run on annual renewals — confirm the live rule with your State Factory Inspectorate or Labour Commissioner, and take formal advice, before you rely on it.