Srinagar, July 11, July 12 -- The High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh has held that maternity leave is a constitutional right rooted in the dignity of women and cannot be treated as a matter of State charity, while directing the Jammu and Kashmir administration to release full salaries and allowances to women doctors during their maternity leave. Justice Rajnesh Oswal delivered the ruling while hearing a petition filed by senior residents and tutors engaged in government medical colleges under the Jammu and Kashmir Medical and Dental Education (Appointment on Academic Arrangement Basis) Rules, 2020.The petitioners had challenged a communication issued on October 14, 2025, by the Health and Medical Education Department, based on the F...