Maternity leave vital part of women’s reproductive rights: Supreme Court
No organization can deny maternity leave to any woman. The Apex Court has said that maternity leave is the right of every woman.
New Delhi: No organization can deny the right to maternity leave to any woman. The Supreme Court has said that maternity leave is the right of every woman. The Apex Court has announced its decision after hearing a petition filed by Tamil Nadu.
The Supreme Court on Friday said that maternity leave is an important part of the reproductive rights of women. The Supreme Court has announced a historic verdict after hearing a petition filed by a woman government teacher from Tamil Nadu.
A bench of Justice Abhay S. Oak and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan passed the order in this case. This woman was denied maternity leave for the child born from her second marriage. Which was denied by the office.
Regarding this, the woman said in her petition that she was not given maternity leave now because she had two children from her first marriage. However, the woman did not take any maternity leave or benefits for the two children born to her from her first marriage. She joined a government job after her second marriage. And after her second marriage, she became pregnant. Therefore, she applied for maternity leave.
Advocate KV Muthu kumar, appearing for the petitioner, said that the state government’s decision violated the fundamental rights of the woman, as she had not previously taken any benefit of the Tamil Nadu maternity benefit rules.
It is worth noting that there is a rule in Tamil Nadu that maternity benefit will be provided only for the first two children. The Supreme Court amended the Maternity Benefit Act in 2017 and increased the leave from 12 weeks to 26 weeks. All women employees will get maternity leave for two children. Similarly, women who adopt children can also take 12 weeks of maternity leave.
The landmark order came on a petition filed by a Tamil Nadu woman government teacher who was denied maternity leave after the birth of her child from a second marriage.
