Male & female Bengal govt employees should get equal childcare leave: Cal HC
Keeping in mind the issue of equality and gender discrimination, the Calcutta High Court on Monday said the Bengal government should take a decision to extend equal childcare leave to its male employees as the ones available for females.
This means that male employees would get a maximum of 730 days, that is, two years of childcare leave. Currently, they get 30 days, a policy introduced in 2016.
The court’s judgment comes in the case of a primary school teacher from North 24 Parganas district wanting the benefit of 730 days of child care leave which women get since he is a widower (his wife having died a couple of months back) with two minor school-going children to take care of.
The court directed the government to take a reasoned decision within three months and communicate the order to him.
The petitioner in his arguments referred to two legal precedents: the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, where the guardian has been described to include both the male and female parents, and to a December 11, 2018 notification of the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions which extended child care benefits to male employees for a maximum period of 730 days during their entire period of service for taking care of two eldest children.
