Shops and Commercial Establishments Act - India

Most businesses in India and their workforce come under the Shops and Establishments Act (SEA). This act regulates many aspects of work-life, including wages, working hours, holidays, earned leaves, child labour, women's rights, and more.

This article provides a bird's view of the Shops and Establishments Act across most states. As a result, while there are broad similarities amongst the acts for various states, the specifics differ from state to state. Be sure to check on the state level page for accurate information about the state.

Unlike the Factories Act, there is no central labour act for shops. Each of the states has its own Shops Acts based on a model code.

Shops Act Ready Reckoner

Select a state from the list below to see information for that state.

Shops & Establishments Acts For Various States

Click on the states given below for detailed information on various state-wise shop acts.

A Brief History

Labour laws came into existence to protect the workers' rights, ensure safe working conditions and regulate the affairs of companies and the workforce. In India, different acts exist for different types of industries and work environments.

The Shops and Establishments Act has its roots far back into the 19th century Industrial Age in Europe. The rights and protections are a culmination of a slow struggle for each of these rights over centuries.

When India gained independence and various new states formed, the Shops Act was enacted by each state based on a shared model code. For example, The Maharashtra Shops and Establishments Act came into force as early as 1948.

In 2016, the Government of India produced a revised and updated Model Shops & Establishments Act for adoption by the states. Once again, Maharashtra is a trailblazer state to have adopted the new Model SEA 2016.

It is expected that more states will adopt and upgrade the decades-old acts in keeping with the changing needs of businesses.

Applicability

The Shops and Establishments Act applies to most businesses, excluding some concerns like factories, mines, etc.The act covers:

  • retail establishments like stores, malls, warehouses, etc.
  • eateries, hotels, movie multiplexes, amusement parks,
  • amusement and entertainment
  • service organizations like finance, healthcare, pharma, hospitality, etc.
  • IT companies

What areas does the Shops Act cover?

The Shops Acts for various state are all similar and cover different labour rights like:

  • working hours
  • rest days and period of rest
  • paid annual leaves (earned, sick and casual leaves)
  • wages and compensation
  • overtime
  • children and women's employment

The businesses covered under the Shops Act have many obligations and compliances like:

  • prompt registration of the business
  • period renewal of the registration
  • keeping the labour department updated about org changes, closure, etc.
  • display of public notices and certificates
  • issuing of appointment letters
  • maintenance of various registers and records

Consequences for Non-Compliance

Apart from detailing the various procedures to be followed, a key component of any regulatory law is laying down the penalties and punishments for various offences.

Notifications

Clarification from MoHFW on vaccination drive

21 May, 2021
The Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW) has clarified to consider the coverage of family members and dependents of the workers in the Employers driven vaccinations.
Read More →

Notifications

Bihar State List of Holidays - 2024

11 Sep, 2023
The Government of Bihar has published its state list of holidays for the year 2024.

Holiday date revised on occasion of Chehlum in Bihar

04 Sep, 2023

Holiday for Ganesh Chathurthi in Tamil Nadu

31 Aug, 2023
The Government of Tamil Nadu has passed a GO declaring the holiday for Vinayakar Chathurthi on 18 September 2023 (monday) instead of 17 September 2023.

Declaration of Public Holiday for G-20 Summit in Delhi

24 Aug, 2023
The Administrator of Delhi has declared public holiday on 8, 9 & 10 September 2023 for all shops, commercial and business establishments, including various organisation in account of G-20 Summit planned to be held in NCT of Delhi.

Paid holiday on account of Bye-Elections in West Bengal

18 Aug, 2023
The Government of West Bengal has declared paid holiday on 05 September 2023 (Tuesday) for the employees who are working in an industrial undertaking or any other establishments on account of bye election at Dhupguri (SC) Assembly Constituency. Therefore, employers of any business, trade, industrial undertaking or any other establishment in all areas pertaining to Constituency, to which elections have been notified, to grant paid holiday on the day of Poll to their workmen.

Notification on Correction of General Holiday List in Assam

16 Aug, 2023
The Government of Assam has notified the correction in the date for general holiday list in Assam, that include, Tithi of Srimanta Sankardeva, Tithi of Srimanta Sankardeva, Janmotsav of Srimanta Sankardeva.

Paid Holiday in Andhra Pradesh for Gram Panchayat Elections

07 Aug, 2023
The Government of Andhra Pradesh has issued an order to declare paid holiday on the day of poll of Gram Panchayats for Public Undertakings,Commercial,Industrial concerns located in areas of elections.

Holiday on account of General Election in Haryana

03 Aug, 2023
The Government of Haryana has declared 13th August 2023 (Sunday) a paid holiday for the workers of shops and establishments, enrolled as a voters in gram panchayats of Ajampur, block Naraingarh district Ambala, Chabri, Block Jind, Bhartana, Block Pillukhera, Rojkhera, block Uchana, district Jind and Juan-l block Sonipat, district Sonipat.

Establishments permitted to remain open 365 days a year in Meghalaya

03 Aug, 2023
The Government of Meghalaya has permitted all establishments to keep open on all 365 days of the year for a further period of one year, up to 31 December 2023, under the Meghalaya Shops And Establishments Act, 2003, subject to the prescribed conditions.

Registration of Shops, Establishments compulsory in Karnataka

01 Aug, 2023
The Government of Karnataka has notified that it is compulsory for Shops and Commercial Establishments to register.

Holiday in Gujarat for Municipal Corporations By-Election

20 Jul, 2023
The State Election Commission of Gujarat has issued a circular with respect to holiday in all shops and establishments on 06 August 2023 on account of by-elections of the Municipal Corporations.

Maharashtra Shops And Establishments (Regulation Of Employment And Conditions Of Service) (Amendment) Rules, 2023

27 Jun, 2023
The Government of Maharashtra has amended and added the word "website or" instead of "website and" for notice of shift schedule under The Maharashtra Shops and Establishments (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Rules, 2018.

Paid Holiday on account of Bye-Election in Haryana districts

23 Jun, 2023
The Government of Haryana has declared paid holiday on 09th July 2023 (Sunday), on account of Bye-Election, for all the workers / employees of shops and commercial establishments, enrolled as voters in Gram Panchayats, Panchayat Samitis and Zila Parishads within the State of Haryana.

Punjab permits Establishments to be open on all days of the year

08 Jun, 2023
The Government of Punjab has permitted all establishments under the Punjab Shops and Establishments Act, 1947, to keep open throughout the year for a further period till 31st May 2024, subject to prescribed conditions.

Extension of Closing Hour under Himachal Pradesh Shops & Establishments Act, 1969

20 May, 2023
The Government of Himachal Pradesh has extended the closing hours from 9:00 P.M. to 11:00 P.M., under the Himachal Pradesh Shops And Commercial Establishments Act, 1969, till 31st July 2023.

Permission to keep establishments open on all days of the year in Telangana

15 May, 2023
The Government of Telangana has published the notification allowing all establishments, under the Telangana Shops and Establishments Act, 1988, to remain open throughout the year for a further period of three years with effect from 16 June 2022, subject to the prescribed conditions.

Preparatory Measures to Minimize Heat-Wave in Puducherry

12 May, 2023
The Administrator of Puducherry has directed occupiers, employers, construction companies, and industries to adopt the precautionary measures for mitigating the adverse effects of extremely hot weather.

Paid Holiday in Karnataka on 10 May 2023 for election

26 Apr, 2023
The Department of Labour, Government of Karnataka has also issued circular stating that the employees who are eligible to vote in the election to the Legislative Assembly of Karnataka scheduled to be held on 10.05.2023 may be granted paid holiday and thus provided with opportunity to exercise their constitutional right.

Paid Holiday in Himachal Pradesh on account of Bye-Election in Jalandhar

26 Apr, 2023
The Government of Himachal Pradesh has declared paid holiday on 10 May 2023, for eligible employees employed in factories, industrial establishments, shops and commercial establishments, on account of bye election in 04-Jalanddhar Parliamentary Constituency of Punjab.

Paid Holiday in Himachal Pradesh on account of Election in Shimla, Palampur

26 Apr, 2023
The Government of Himachal Pradesh has declared paid holiday on 2 May 2023, for eligible employees employed in factories, industrial establishments and commercial establishments, on account of municipal corporation election in Shimla and bye-election in Ward No. 2, Palampur Upperla of Municipal Corporation Palampur.

Public Holiday on account of Election in Uttar Pradesh

20 Apr, 2023
The Government of Uttar Pradesh has declared public holiday on 4 May 2023 and 11 May 2023, on account of General Election of Municipal Corporations, Municipal Councils and Panchayats.

Guidelines to obtain exemptions under Telangana Shops Act

04 Apr, 2023
The Government of Telangana has issued the guidelines for obtaining an exemption from the provisions on opening and closing hours of the Telangana Shops And Establishments Act, 1988.

Declaration of paid holiday in Karnataka for Election

31 Mar, 2023
The Karnataka Election to State Legislature Assembly is scheduled to be held on 10 May 2023 (Wednesday). The Election Commission of India has directed the State Chief Secretary and Election Commissioner regarding declaration of paid holiday on the Election Day.

Tamil Nadu permits establishments to be open on all days of the year

23 Mar, 2023
Subject to certain conditions, the Government of Tamil Nadu has allowed all establishments, under the Tamil Nadu Shops and Establishments Act, 1947, to remain open throughout the year for a further period of three years with effect from 23 March 2023.

Holiday for Ugadi, Vinayaka Chavithi in AP

10 Mar, 2023
The Government of Andhra Pradesh has declared holidays on 22 March 2023 (Wednesday), on the occasion of Ugadi, and on 18 September 2023 (Monday), on the occasion of Vinayaka Chavithi.

Punjab Shops and Commercial Establishments (First Amendment) Rules, 2023

01 Mar, 2023
The Government of Punjab has amended the Punjab Shops and Commercial Establishments Rules, 1958, to include provisions on exhibition of name board and penalty for non-compliance.

Change in Holiday for Mahavir Jayanti in Rajasthan

28 Feb, 2023
The Government of Rajasthan has declared a holiday on 03 April 2023 (Monday), instead of 04 April 2023 (Tuesday) on account of Mahavir Jayanti.

Declaration of Authority under Shops & Establishments in Maharashtra

22 Feb, 2023
The Government of Maharashtra has declared Panchayats to be the local authority for enforcement of provisions under the Maharashtra Shops and Establishments (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 2017.

Conditions for women employees deployed in night shifts in Haryana

21 Feb, 2023
Haryana Government lays down certain conditions for employing women employees during night shifts with respect to their security, safety and to safeguard the interest of women employees in certain class of establishments registered under the Shops and Establishments Act in the State of Haryana.

Public Holiday on account of Bye-Election in Tamil Nadu

09 Feb, 2023
The Government of Tamil Nadu has declared paid holiday on 27th February 2023 (Monday), for all employees who are working in Erode and neighbouring districts, on account of the bye-election in the 98 Erode (East) Assembly Constituency.

Paid Holiday on account of Assembly Election in Tripura

04 Feb, 2023
The Government of Tripura, on account of the General Election, has declared paid holiday on 16th February 2023 (Thursday) for the eligible employees in all the establishments in the State of Tripura.

Circular mandating display of name board in Punjabi

03 Feb, 2023
The Government of Punjab has mandated that the name board of all public and private shops and commercial establishments, and other institutions be displayed in Punjabi in Gurumukhi script by the 21st of February 2023.

Certificate of Enlistment through E-District Portal in West Bengal

01 Feb, 2023
The Government of West Bengal has notified that with effect from 02 February 2023 the Certificate of Enlistment (Trade License) can be obtained through the e-District portal instead of the Silpasathi portal.

Madhya Pradesh Udyogon Ki Sthapna Evam Parichalan Ka Saralikaran Adhyadesh, 2023

27 Jan, 2023
The Governor of Madhya Pradesh has promulgated by ordinance, the Madhya Pradesh Udyogon Ki Sthapna Evam Parichalan Ka Saralikaran Adhyadesh, 2023, providing exemption from approvals and inspections for establishing and operating an industrial unit in Madhya Pradesh. Please refer to the notification for more details

Holiday for Mahavir Jayanthi on 04 April 2023, Karnataka

17 Jan, 2023
Government of Karnataka has issued a corrigendum (17 Jan 2023) on Holidays List of 2023 and the holiday for Mahavir Jayanti that was earlier declared on 03 April 2023 has now been changed to 04 April 2023.

Paid holiday on account of Bye-Election in West Bengal

02 Jan, 2023
The Government of West Bengal on account of bye-election in the 60 - Sagardighi Assembly Constituency,has declared paid holiday on 27th February 2023 (Monday) for the eligible employees who are working in shops, and commercial and industrial establishments in West Bengal.

Jammu & Kashmir Holidays List - 2023

30 Dec, 2022
The Government of Jammu & Kashmir Union Territory has released its list of Holidays (Provincial, Local, Restricted) for the year 2023.

Exemption under Himachal Pradesh Shops Act

28 Dec, 2022
The Government of Himachal Pradesh, considering the heavy rush of tourists on the occasion of new year, with effect from 28 Dec 2022 to 02 Jan 2023, has exempted all shops and establishments from the operation of Section 8 (Intervals for meals or rest), Section 9 (Opening and Closing hours), and Section 10 (Close day) under the Himachal Pradesh Shops and Commercial Establishment Act, 1969.

West Bengal's single window portal for registration, renewal

27 Dec, 2022
The Government of West Bengal has mandated all applications for registrations and licenses, under various labour legislations, to be made through the State Single Window Silpasathi Portal.

Manipur List of Holidays - 2023

21 Dec, 2022
The Government of Manipur has released its list of holidays for the year 2023.

Madhya Pradesh State List of Holidays - 2023

19 Dec, 2022
The Government of Madhya Pradesh has released the list of holidays for the year 2023.

Chandigarh List of Holidays - 2023

16 Dec, 2022
The Government of Chandigarh has released its list of Holidays for the year 2023.

Andhra Pradesh State List of Holidays - 2023

15 Dec, 2022
The Government of Andhra Pradesh has declared the list of public holidays for the year 2023.

Punjab Holidays List - 2023

13 Dec, 2022
The Government of Punjab has released its list of holidays for the year 2023.

Jharkhand List of Holidays - 2023

13 Dec, 2022
The Jharkhand Goverment has released the list of holidays for the year 2023.

Manipur State List of Holidays - 2023

12 Dec, 2022
The Government of Manipur has published the list of holidays for the year 2023.

Telangana Holidays List - 2023 (under NFH Act)

12 Dec, 2022
The Telangana Government has released its list of holidays for the year under 2023 under the National Festival and Other Holidays Act applicable to the employees of Shops and Establishments.

Paid Holiday for General Election in Haryana

09 Dec, 2022
The Government of Haryana, on account of the General Elections for Panch of Ward No. 5, Gram Panchayat Rukhi Khas, Block Gohana, District Sonipat, has declared paid holiday on 13 December 2022 for the eligible employees, working in the Shops & Establishments.

Haryana Holidays List - 2023

09 Dec, 2022
The Government of Haryana has released the list of holidays for the year 2023.

Andhra Pradesh Holidays List - 2023

03 Dec, 2022
The Government of Andhra Pradesh has released the list of holidays for the employees of Shops and Establishments (in the districts of Kurnool, Kadapa, Anantapur and Chittoor) for the year 2023.
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