Supreme Court Calls for Review of Single Parent Judicial Officer's Leave Petition

Supreme Court's Directive to Reassess Leave Denial

On Friday, the Supreme Court instructed the Jharkhand High Court to reconsider a petition filed by a single-parent female judicial officer, who challenged the denial of leave for child care.

A bench comprising Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra and Justice Augustine George Masih stated that the High Court should evaluate the judicial officer's petition without being influenced by the rejection of her previous request.

The bench ordered the lawyer representing the Jharkhand High Court to receive instructions within three days and postponed the hearing of the case to the following week. They emphasized that it would be prudent for the High Court to revisit this matter, as the Supreme Court's directives could set a significant precedent.

Previously, on May 29, the Supreme Court had sought responses from the Jharkhand government and the High Court registry regarding the petition of the single-parent judicial officer, which contested the refusal of her leave request for child care.

The court took cognizance of the petition from an Additional District Judge (ADJ) belonging to the Scheduled Caste category, who alleged that her request for a six-month leave had been denied. The judicial officer had sought leave from June to December to accommodate her child's examination schedule.