Supreme Court (SC) ruling on maternity leave for adoptive mothers on March 17, 2026

Key facts

• The Supreme Court (SC) ruled that all adoptive mothers are entitled to 12 weeks of maternity leave, regardless of the age of the adopted child.
• A bench comprising Justice J B Pardiwala and Justice R Mahadevan read down Section 60(4) of The Code on Social Security-2020.
• The SC held that the previous provision limiting maternity leave to children adopted below the age of three months violated Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution of India.
• The court urged the Central Government to introduce provisions recognising paternity leave as a social security benefit.
• The ruling established that maternity protection is a basic human right associated with the process of motherhood rather than just childbirth.
• The judgment stated that adoption is an exercise of reproductive and decisional autonomy under Article 21 of the Constitution of India.