Tech Mahindra said on 24 August 2026 that R Bhavana, the Hyderabad-based software employee who staged a protest outside its Dundigal campus, remains on the company payroll and is currently an active associate. The clarification followed weeks of public attention on her allegations of unfair termination.
Bhavana had staged a dharna outside the campus in July, alleging she was removed from service after taking three days of leave to care for her 11-year-old daughter, who had fallen ill. She had joined the company about four months earlier and lodged a complaint with Dundigal police, who began a preliminary inquiry and sought a report from the company.
In its statement, the company said an “Abandonment of Services” notice issued on 22 July was never put into effect, and that her salary for July was processed in the normal course of business. Tech Mahindra said it had communicated her employment status to her.
The company detailed her attendance record, noting she had taken 27 days of leave across a four-month period, covering both planned and unplanned absences. It said it had supported her leave requests linked to personal circumstances, but claimed she had bypassed internal grievance channels in favour of public and social media platforms. The company further alleged she was not interested in resuming duties and was seeking a financial settlement.
Bhavana, in her account, alleged that she was required to log in and await approval for leave, faced repeated emails during a 13-day medical leave, and was asked to seek permission even to use the washroom. She said she had not encountered such conditions at any previous employer and urged software companies to adopt a more supportive approach towards women employees managing family responsibilities.
Tech Mahindra, the Pune-headquartered IT services arm of the Mahindra Group, employs more than 148,000 people and posted revenue of about ₹56,847 crore in FY26. The dispute has drawn wider attention to grievance-redressal mechanisms and leave practices at large Indian IT firms, coming months after separate workplace controversies at other services majors.
The police inquiry and the company’s account of the matter remain the two reference points as the case continues to attract public discussion.
