The Supreme Court on Friday, May 23, ruled that maternity leave was an integral component of maternity benefits and a vital part of women’s reproductive rights.
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.
In her petition, the woman said her maternity leave was denied on grounds that she had two children from her first marriage. Tamil Nadu has a rule that maternity benefits will only be extended to the first two children.
