LUCKNOW: Observing that maternity benefits shall be governed by the provisions of the Social Security Act, 2020, the Allahabad High Court said that no two-year embargo could be imposed, by way of a timeline, between two pregnancies and that maternity leave could not be denied on that basis.
With this observation, the HC set aside the order issued by the UP health department by which the claim of the petitioner, a nurse, was rejected on the ground that maternity leave could be granted only when there was a gap of two years between the two pregnancies.
The court, accordingly, directed the petitioner to submit a fresh application for the maternity leave. The court issued directions to the authorities concerned to take an appropriate decision.