Srinagar, Mar 14 : The state High Court has stayed a notification regarding 'honorarium' against maternity leave period of contractual employees' issued by the state government. "The SRO dtd 22 May 2014 prima facie appears to be illegal, discriminatory and unjust.
This is adversely affecting legal rights of a large section of the society," said a single bench of the court comprising Justice Muzaffar Hussain Attar. "Till further orders of the court, the expression 'without honorarium' appearing in SRO dated 22 May 2014, shall stay," the court said while adding, “a woman does not stay away from work during maternity leave out of her own volition. The court said that denying the benefits to contractual employees during maternity leave may force some women not to procreate.
The decision came over a petition filed by woman through her counsel Altaf Haqani challenging Rule-10 (iii) of SRO 255 of 2003 as amended vide SRO 141 of 2014 ". |
