Uttar Pradesh Shops & Commercial Establishments (Amendment) Ordinance, 2025

The Honourable Governor of Uttar Pradesh, through Ordinance no. 16 of 2025, has made amendments to the Uttar Pradesh Shops and Commercial Establishments Rules, 1962.

Key features of the amendment are outlined below:

1. The Ordinance will come into effect on 20^th November 2025. 

2. The definition of a “commercial establishment” now includes any medical practitioner, which encompasses hospitals, dispensaries, clinics, polyclinics, maternity homes, and similar establishments.

3. The threshold limit for the applicability of the Act has been updated to include establishments with 20 or more employees.

4. To register an establishment, the owner must submit an application through the designated web portal within six months of commencing the business.

5. The daily working hours have been increased from eight to nine hours, with a maximum weekly limit of 48 hours.

6. The total maximum overtime hours permitted per quarter has been revised to 144 hours.

7. Female employees may be assigned to night shifts under the following conditions (from 7 PM to 6 AM):

a) Adequate provisions must be made for a shelter room, canteen, rest room, night crèche, ladies’ toilets, and other safety facilities.

b) Transportation must be provided from the employee’s residence to the workplace and back.

c) Consent from the female employee must be obtained.

8. An inspector is required to issue a fifteen-day notice to the employer before commencing prosecution proceedings for specific offences. However, no such notice will be given for repeated offences within a five-year period.

9. The monetary fine for violations of the Act will range from two thousand to ten thousand Rupees.