Tamil Nadu government cannot restrict maternity leave to just 12 weeks for third pregnancy: Madras High Court

The Madras High Court has disapproved of a Tamil Nadu government decision to restrict the maternity leave to just 12 weeks for the third pregnancy of women government servants who are otherwise entitled to 365 days of leave for the two pregnancies.

Second Division Bench of Justices R. Suresh Kumar and N. Senthil Kumar said, there was “absolutely no justification” for the State government to have issued a Government Order (G.O.) on March 13, 2026 restricting the maternity leave for the third pregnancy to just three months.