The Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh High Court held that women doctors cannot be denied salaries during maternity leave once leave is granted under service rules. The Court ruled maternity benefits are constitutional rights flowing from dignity, equality and reproductive autonomy, not government charity.
The Supreme Court refused immediate relief to IPS officer Urvashi Sengar, holding that joining Phase-II training midway would undermine its purpose. However, the Court orally agreed that her challenge to the 1993 MHA Office Memorandum on maternity-related interruptions appeared to have substantial legal merit.
The Supreme Court of India is questioning the justification for limiting maternity leave for adoptive mothers to 12 weeks only if the child is under three months old, as stated in the Maternity Benefit Act. The court highlighted potential discrimination against older adopted children, contrasting benefits between adoptive and biological mothers, and is set to decide on this issue on December 17.
On Tuesday(12th March), The Delhi High Court has fined the Delhi government for challenging a ruling granting maternity benefits to contractual employee Rehmat Fatima. Justices criticized the government’s appeal and dismissed it, emphasizing the importance of women’s workplace rights. The government was ordered to compensate Fatima with Rs.50,000, highlighting the significance of the original order.
The Calcutta High Court has ruled that maternity benefits must be provided equally to both regular and contractual female employees. The case involved a contractual executive intern at the Reserve Bank of India who was denied maternity leave. The court emphasized that denying such benefits is discriminatory and violates the Maternity Benefits Act, 1961.