Maternity Leave for Adoptive Mothers Context: The Supreme Court of India has ruled that all women who adopt children are eligible for 12 weeks of paid maternity leave, irrespective of the child’s age. Maternity benefits in India are governed by the Maternity Benefit Act, 1961. Through the 2017 amendment, adoptive and commissioning mothers were, for the first time, granted 12 weeks of paid leave. However, a limitation was imposed this benefit applied only if the adopted child was younger than 3 months. This condition was later included in the Code on Social Security, 2020 under Section 60(4). Adoption procedures regulated by the Central Adoption Resource Authority rarely allow adoption of infants below three months. Consequently, most adoptive mothers were excluded from maternity leave benefits, making the provision ineffective in practice. The age-based restriction was found to be arbitrary and discriminatory. It violates Article 14 (right to equality) and Article 21 (right to life and dignity) of the Indian Constitution. The Court affirmed that adoption is a legitimate and equal form of parenthood, and adoptive mothers must not be treated differently from biological mothers. Current Facts Part III, Article 32- Remedies for enforcement of rights conferred by this Part Part VI, Article 226- Power of High Courts to issue certain writs Revamped Mission Vatsalya Portal Context: The Ministry of Women and Child Development has launched the Revamped Mission Vatsalya Platform- an integrated digital platform for child protection services across India. It aims to ensure the care, protection, rehabilitation, and development of children through an integrated and technology-driven system. This platform integrates previous services—such as Khoya-Paya and TrackChild-into a single digital interface. It facilitates coordination among relevant stakeholders at the state and district levels, including Child Protection Units, Child Welfare Committees (CWC), and Juvenile Justice Boards (JJB). It enables the real-time monitoring,…
