A Supreme Court lawyer has served a legal notice on the government to take necessary steps in 15 days to end any discrimination between public and private female service holders regarding maternity leave.

Another SC lawyer Md JR Khan Robin sent the legal notice on behalf of lawyer Shammi Akhter to the respondents today.

In the notice, the lawyer also asked to enhance the leave period from six months to one year.

The lawyer said if the respondents do not take steps to dispel the discrimination between public and private female service holders regarding maternity leave in 15 days, appropriate legal action will be taken against them.

Secretaries to the cabinet division, ministries of public administration, legislative and parliamentary affairs division under law ministry, health ministry, and women and children affairs ministry have been made respondents to the legal notice.

JR Khan Robin said in the legal notice that the government has enhanced the maternity leave of government service holders from four months to six months through amending the rule 197(1) of the Bangladesh Service Rules in 2011 which is very insufficient during this Covid-19 pandemic.

If an expecting mother is infected with Covid-19, her family members including the expecting baby might be infected with coronavirus and therefore, her entire family faces many difficulties. Along with that, many private organisations do not abide by the rules of maternity leave, he said in the legal notice.      

Lawyer JR Khan Robin also said that the respondents have not yet taken any steps to remove the discrimination over the maternity leave.

Many private organisations do not provide exactly six months of maternity leave or they do not provide all other facilities unlike public organisations.