Madras High Court: In a writ petition filed by MRB Nurses Empowerment Association (‘Nurses Association’) seeking issuance of a writ directing the Department of Health and Family Welfare and other respondents to extend maternity benefits including 270 days of paid maternity leave in accordance with the provisions of Maternity Benefits Act, 1961 (‘the 1961 Act’) to all staff nurses working under the National Rural Health Mission Scheme in the State of Tamil Nadu with immediate effect, the division bench of K.R. Shriram, CJ. and Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy, J. held that by virtue of Section 27, the provisions of the 1961 Act will prevail over contractual conditions denying or offering less favourable maternity benefits. Thus, the Court directed that all pending and new applications for maternity benefits from NRHM nurses employed on a contractual basis were to be considered and disposed of in accordance with Section 5 of the 1961 Act.
Background:
The Nurses Association was established with the sole purpose of upliftment of staff nurses working on various scheme sanctioned posts in the State of Tamil Nadu. One such scheme is National Rural Heath Mission (NRHM) Scheme floated by the Government of India with a view to enhance the health care in rural areas. Under the NRHM scheme, the Central Government provides funds to the State Government for the appointment of Doctors, Nurses, Pharmacists and other health care professionals. It is the case of the Nurses Association that the nurses have been working for more than two years and, therefore, would be eligible for maternity leave of 270 days with pay as per the 1961 Act. It was the Association’s case that maternity benefits have been denied by the State Government to NRHM nurses because they were contractual employees. Thus, the present petition was filed.
Analysis and Decision:
The Court noted that the respondents stated that nurses are not eligible for any kind of leave as applicable to the regular Government servants except for the casual leave of one day for one month and day off. It is also stated that, in any other untoward exceptional circumstances, any individual is permitted to avail the leave other than the leave specified above that will be treated as leave on loss of pay.
The Bench took note of Dr. Kavita Yadav v. Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare Department, (2024) 1 SCC 421, wherein it was held that once lady employee fulfills entitlement criteria specified in Section 5(2), she would be eligible for full maternity benefits even if such benefits exceed duration of her contract.
Therefore, the Court held that by virtue of Section 27, the provisions of the 1961 Act will prevail over contractual conditions denying or offering less favourable maternity benefits.
The Court stated that the respondents’ reliance on Condition 6 of the Appointment and Posting Order to deny maternity benefits is untenable.
The Court directed that all pending and new applications for maternity benefits from NRHM nurses employed on a contractual basis were to be considered and disposed of in accordance with Section 5 of the 1961 Act within three months from the date of receipt of a copy of the order for pending applications, or within three months from the date of receipt of fresh applications, as applicable, after making any necessary adjustments for payments made earlier.
[MRB Nurses Empowerment Association v. Principal Secretary, 2024 SCC OnLine Mad 5801, decided on 18-10-2024]