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'Only a Woman Knows How Difficult it is to Balance Motherhood and Career' : Kerala High Court Reinstates Woman Fired for Availing Maternity Leave

Lawstreet Journal 9 Aug 2021 4:57pm

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Image courtesy: Lawstreet Journal Judiciary 'Only a Woman Knows How Difficult it is to Balance Motherhood and Career' : Kerala High Court Reinstates Woman Fired for Availing Maternity Leave

In a case involving a woman who was denied maternity leave, the Kerala High Court chastised the state for dismissing her as a counsellor at the Women and Child Development Department and set aside the dismissal order.

While delivering the decision, Justice Devan Ramachandran noted that "only a woman understands how acutely difficult it is to balance motherhood and her career."

Vandana Sreemedha, a contract Counsellor, filed the petition after being terminated from service for unauthorized absence.In her petition, she claimed that her request for maternity leave was denied, and to make matters worse, she was terminated from service when she went to take the leave.

Sreemedha went on to say that she had approached several authorities with a request for maternity leave, but that all of her efforts had been in vain. The petitioner was represented in the case by Advocate Sri B Mohanlal.

It was also argued before the Court that the Director of the Department had threatened to take action against the District Child Protection Officer for appointing the petitioner "without proper care," implying that he should not have offered her employment solely because she had recently given birth and needed leave to care for her child. 

Following a hearing with the parties, the Court stated as follows:

Without further elaboration, this attitude is not one that this court can tolerate in this century, when women play multiple roles, shoulder a variety of responsibilities, and must be adept multitaskers in order to survive and find wings… Continue Reading...

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Tagged: kerala high court   Maternity Leave   Pregnant Woman  
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