{"id":93352,"date":"2026-03-18T10:12:19","date_gmt":"2026-03-18T04:42:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=93352"},"modified":"2026-03-18T11:29:24","modified_gmt":"2026-03-18T05:59:24","slug":"maternity-leave-for-adoptive-mothers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/maternity-leave-for-adoptive-mothers\/","title":{"rendered":"Maternity Leave for Adoptive Mothers &#8211; Supreme Court Redefining Parenthood Rights"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Maternity Leaves for Adoptive Mothers Latest News<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Supreme Court of India has read down provisions of the Code on Social Security, 2020 to extend <\/span><b>12 weeks<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of maternity leave to all <\/span><b>adoptive mothers <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">irrespective of the child\u2019s age.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Simultaneously, it has urged the Union Government to recognise <\/span><b>paternity leave<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> as a social security benefit.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The judgment also intersects with an ongoing constitutional challenge to Section 5(4) of the Maternity Benefit Act, 1961, which restricts maternity benefits for adoptive mothers based on the age of the child.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Key Highlights of the Judgment<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Removal of age restriction for adoptive mothers:<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Court read down Section 60(4) of the Code on Social Security, 2020.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It held that all adoptive mothers are entitled to 12 weeks of maternity leave, regardless of whether the child is above or below 3 months.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It declared the earlier restriction violative of Articles <\/span><b>14 <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(Right to Equality) and <\/span><b>21 <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(Right to Life and Personal Liberty).<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><b>Motherhood beyond biological childbirth:<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Court clarified maternity benefit is linked to motherhood, not childbirth.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Adoptive mothers have similar caregiving responsibilities as biological mothers.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Adoption recognised as part of reproductive and decisional autonomy under <\/span><b>Article 21.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><b>Maternity leave as a human right:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> The judgment termed maternity protection as a \u201cbasic human right\u201d, ensuring economic security, workplace inclusion of women, and freedom to exercise reproductive choices without employment penalty.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Emphasis on role of fathers:<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Court highlighted early childhood care requires both parents.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Absence of paternity leave reinforces gender stereotypes, limits father\u2019s participation in caregiving, and urges the government to frame a paternity leave policy as part of social security.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Legal and Policy Background<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Maternity Benefit Act, 1961:<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It aims to regulate employment of women before and after childbirth.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Key provisions are paid maternity leave (the period of such leave could not exceed twelve weeks), protection from dismissal, etc.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><b>2017 Amendment:<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Increased paid maternity leave to 26 weeks for biological mothers.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Introduced, 12 weeks leave for adoptive mothers (only if child &lt; 3 months), work-from-home provision, mandatory cr\u00e8che facilities (in establishments having 50 or more employees).<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><b>Code on Social Security, 2020:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> It consolidates labour laws, and retains similar restrictive provision for adoptive mothers (which is now read down by SC).<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Pending Constitutional Challenge<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A PIL challenges Section 5(4) of the Maternity Benefit Act, 1961 as discriminatory and arbitrary, and violative of Part III (Fundamental Rights) of the Indian Constitution.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Key issues:<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Denial of benefits to adoptive mothers of older children.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Discrimination against orphaned and abandoned children.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Conflict with the Juvenile Justice Act, 2015, and the adoption procedures that delay early adoption.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Key Issues and Challenges<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Discrimination in existing framework<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Unequal treatment between biological and adoptive mothers, adoptive mothers based on child\u2019s age.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Structural barriers in adoption: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Lengthy procedures make adoption of infants (&lt;3 months) rare, legal requirements (e.g., declaration of child as \u201clegally free\u201d) cause delays.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Lack of paternity leave<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: India lacks a comprehensive statutory paternity leave policy, leading to gender imbalance in caregiving, and reinforcement of traditional roles.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Limited impact on women\u2019s workforce participation<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Evidence suggests that decline in women\u2019s participation in several sectors post-2017 amendment, as a result of employer bias due to increased costs and lack of childcare support.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Implementation gaps<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Weak enforcement in the <\/span><b>unorganised sector. <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Limited access to cr\u00e8che facilities, work-from-home flexibility.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Way Forward<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Gender-neutral parental leave policy:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Introduce statutory paternity leave, and move towards shared parental leave framework.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Harmonisation of laws: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Align the Maternity Benefit Act, Code on Social Security, and the Juvenile Justice Act. Remove inconsistencies affecting adoptive parents.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Strengthening adoption ecosystem: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Simplify procedures, reduce delays in declaring children legally free for adoption.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Incentivising employers: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Government support\/subsidies to offset maternity costs, promote women-friendly workplace policies.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Focus on unorganised sector: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Expand social security schemes, ensure portability and accessibility of benefits.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Conclusion<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The SC\u2019s intervention marks a progressive shift from a biology-centric to a <\/span><b>care-centric <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">understanding of parenthood.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">By recognising adoptive motherhood as equal to biological motherhood and advocating for paternity leave, the judgment advances <\/span><b>substantive <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">equality and gender <\/span><b>justice<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, meaningful transformation will depend on legislative action, policy coherence, and effective implementation, ensuring that parental rights translate into real social security for all families.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Source: <\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/legal-news\/supreme-court-adoptive-mothers-maternity-leave-age-limit-paternity-leave-ruling-10587164\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><b>IE<\/b><\/a><b>\u00a0| <\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/explained\/explained-law\/maternity-benefits-to-adoptive-mothers-what-the-law-says-challenge-in-sc-8555013\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><b>IE<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The SC has read down provisions of the Code on Social Security, 2020 to extend 12 weeks of maternity leave to all adoptive mothers irrespective of the child\u2019s age.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":93373,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[60,6162,22,59],"class_list":{"0":"post-93352","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-upsc-mains-current-affairs","8":"tag-mains-articles","9":"tag-maternity-leaves-for-adoptive-mothers","10":"tag-upsc-current-affairs","11":"tag-upsc-mains-current-affairs","12":"no-featured-image-padding"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93352","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/19"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=93352"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93352\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":93374,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93352\/revisions\/93374"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/93373"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=93352"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=93352"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=93352"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}