In July 2024 reports said that Karnataka was considering an amendment to its Shops and Commercial Establishments Act. Working hours in IT companies were to rise to 14 a day, including overtime. The labour minister, Santosh Lad, said: “Obviously, since the pressure is from the industry, the bill has come to us.”
The IT employees’ union KITU protested in Bengaluru. In 2025 a revised draft proposed 10-hour days and more overtime. The union called it an “inhuman attempt to impose modern-day slavery.” In July 2025 Deccan Chronicle reported that the government had dropped the proposal.