Research › Search › Judgment

Rajasthan High Court · body

2019 DIGILAW 1268 (RAJ)

Laxmi Kumari Meena v. State of Rajasthan

2019-04-29

ALOK SHARMA

body2019
JUDGMENT 1. Heard on the stay application. 2. Rule 103 of Rajasthan Service Rules (RSR), provides as under:- 103:- Maternity leave may be granted to a female Government Servant with less than two surviving children upto a period of 180 days from the date of its commencement. However, if there is no surviving child even after availing it twice, Maternity Leave may be granted on one more occasion. During such period, she will be entitled to leave salary equal to pay drawn immediately before proceeding on leave. Such leave shall not be debited to the leave account but such entry should be made in the service book separately. 3. I am prima facie of the considered view that the Rule 103 of the Rajasthan Service Rules (RSR) pertaining to maternity leave to employees of the State Government does not attract to grant to a government servant in respect of a child born to her prior to date of her joining State service. In-fact if an appointeea female gives birth to a child immediately prior to her appointment, she can seek postponement of date of her joining. Section 4(1) and 4(2) of the Maternity Benefit Act, 1961 (hereafter the Act of 1961) provides as under:- (1) No employer shall knowingly employ a woman in any establishment during the six weeks immediately following the day of her delivery, [miscarriage or medical termination of pregnancy]. (2) No women shall work in any establishment during the six weeks immediately following the day of her delivery [miscarriage or medical termination of pregnancy]. 4. Mr. Himanshu Jain, in support of an interim order, relied upon an interim order passed by this Court on 12.10.2018 in the case of Tanuja Verma v. State of Rajasthan SBCWP No. 23013/2018 where it was directed while issuing notice as under:- "Meanwhile, the petitioner shall be entitled to be granted maternity leave in terms of Rule 103 of the RSR and orders in this regard shall be issued. Leave granted shall be subject to final decision of the writ petition." 5. Leave granted shall be subject to final decision of the writ petition." 5. A perusal of the interim order dated 12.10.2018 indicates that it does not set out any reason which can persuade this Court to pass a similar order more so in view of Section 4(1) and 4(2) of the Act of 1961 and the Courts prima facie view that Rule 103 of RSR cannot relate to birth of a child to an employee prior to her employment. Further Child Care Leave (CCL) can be availed by an employee under Rule 103(C) of RSR. 6. The stay application stands dismissed accordingly.