Denying maternity leave to a mother who begets child through surrogacy violates Article 21

Chhattisgarh High Court: While disposing a writ concerning denial of grant of maternity leave to a mother who has begotten  a child through surrogacy under Rule 38 of the Chhattisgarh Civil Services (Leave) Rules, 2010 the learned Single Judge Bench of Sanjay K. Agrawal, J. held that the State Government cannot differentiate between a biological mother and a mother who begets a child through surrogacy as right to life under Article 21 of Constitution of India includes the right to motherhood and also the right of every child to full development, thereby setting aside the  impugned order rejecting the application of the petitioner for grant of maternity leave  and  held that the petitioner is entitled for maternity leave as provided under Rule 38 of the 2010 Rules.

In the present case the petitioner surrogate mother was a lecturer working in the government girls higher secondary school, Utai. The petitioner was denied maternity leave by the Education Department on the ground that the concept of providing maternal leave to mother who begets child through surrogacy is not mentioned in the Chhattisgarh Civil Services (Leave) Rules, 2010. The Court was not satisfied with the said argument and observed by relying on the case of B. Shah v. Presiding officer Labour Court, (1977)4 SCC 384  that interpretation of beneficial piece of legislation which is intended to achieve social justice must be construed beneficially.

The Court also relied on various case laws such as Anuj Garg v. Hotel Association of India, (2008) 3 SCC 1 and the rule of dynamic construction as explained by the eminent author Justice G.P Singh in Principles of Statutory Interpretation, observed that statutes are to be interpreted dynamically according to the change in society and societal conditions, unless and until the contrary intention appears from the statute. [Sadhna Agrawal v. State of Chhattisgarh, 2017 SCC OnLine Chh 19, decided on 3/01/2017]