Pioneer in short
SC urges paternity leave law
The Supreme Court on Tuesday urged the Centre to enact a law recognising paternity leave as a social security benefit, highlighting that parenthood is a shared responsibility. While acknowledging the central role of mothers in a child’s development, the bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan said it would be unjust to overlook the father’s role in early caregiving. The court struck down a law limiting maternity leave for adoptive mothers to children under three months, ruling that all adoptive mothers should be entitled to 12 weeks of leave regardless of the child’s age. The court noted that the formative months of a child’s life are crucial for emotional bonding and attachment, and the father’s presence significantly contributes to the child’s well-being. Paternity leave enables fathers to actively participate in childcare, share household responsibilities, and support mothers, fostering gender equality at home and work. “It helps dismantle gendered roles, encourages active fatherhood, and ensures both parents engage meaningfully during the early stages of a child’s life,” the bench said, urging the Government to define the leave period based on parental and child needs.
Eight MPs reinstated in Parliament
The Lok Sabha on Tuesday revoked the suspension of eight opposition MPs, barred since February 3 for unruly behaviour, with Speaker Om Birla stressing that placards, posters, photos, or AI-generated images must not be displayed inside the House. The suspension affected seven Congress MPs-Gurjeet Singh Aujla, Hibi Eden, C Kiran Kumar Reddy, Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, Manickam Tagore, Prashant Padole, and Dean Kuriakose-and one CPI(M) member, S Ventakesan. The MPs were suspended for the entire Budget session, set to conclude on April 2. Congress MP K Suresh said the party is ready to cooperate in ensuring smooth proceedings, while Samajwadi Party’s Dharmendra Yadav and NCP’s Supriya Sule emphasized mutual respect between ruling and opposition benches.
