Cuttack, July 5: The Orissa High Court has affirmed that female employees who become mothers through surrogacy are entitled to the same maternity leave and benefits as natural and adoptive mothers.
This ruling was delivered on June 25 by a single judge bench, Justice S.K. Panigrahi, in response to a petition by Supriya Jena, an officer in the Odisha Finance Service (OFS).
Jena, who became a mother via surrogacy, was initially denied 180 days of maternity leave by her superiors in the Odisha government. Consequently, she sought redress from the high court, which ruled in her favor.
