India, July 2 -- The Orissa High Court has ruled that a woman contractual employee cannot be denied maternity leave and its associated benefits, emphasising that denying such benefits based on the nature of employment is "abhorrent to the notions of humanity and womanhood."

The court was hearing a case concerning Anindita Mishra, who was recruited on a contractual basis by the state government in May 2014. She had applied for six months of maternity leave after giving birth to a baby girl in August 2016. Despite submitting the necessary medical certificates, the state government rejected her request, stating that maternity benefits were not applicable to contractual employees.

A division bench comprising Justices Dixit Krishna Shripad a...