New Delhi: Maternity cannot be allowed to become a source of ignominy at workplace, the Delhi High Court has ruled while holding that statutory protection available to women during maternity leave is not confined to continuity of employment but extends to their professional status and prospects of career advancement.
The high court's observations came while directing a private firm to pay Rs 10 lakh compensation and Rs 1.5 lakh costs to a woman chartered accountant who had gone on maternity leave as an accounting manager and upon return to work, was assigned a role in the treasury department -- to a position which was clerical in nature.
