Jammu, June 26 -- The implications of the order have to percolate to all institutions and society
By Rohit Mani Tiwari
On May 23, while delivering a historic judgment in K Umadevi v. State of Tamil Nadu (2025), the Supreme Court unequivocally declared that 'leave and benefit due to maternity situation of a woman' are fundamental rights. The Court linked several previous cases, international conventions, treaties, and prevalent socio-economic reality of the nation to grant 'maternity leave as fundamental right under Art.21'. In Suchita Srivastava v. Chandigarh Administration (2009), it was noted that women's 'reproductive rights' was an integral part of personal liberty and hence fell within the ambit of Article 21.
In Umadevi, the Court ...