New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday directed the Jharkhand High Court to respond within a week regarding the rejection of a child care leave application filed by Additional District Judge (ADJ) Kashika M. Prasad.
A bench led by Chief Justice B.R. Gavai and Justice A.G. Masih issued the directive while hearing Prasad’s petition challenging the denial of her leave request.
The apex court ordered that its directive be communicated to the Jharkhand High Court via email and emphasised that the matter would be conclusively heard on the next scheduled date.
“All the parties are informed that we will settle the matter on the next date,” the court stated in its order.
During the hearing, the petitioner's counsel highlighted that Kashika M. Prasad is a single parent with an exemplary service record, as reflected in her Annual Confidential Reports (ACRs).
The petition stated that Prasad had applied for child care leave starting June 10 under the Jharkhand High Court’s policy, which permits up to 730 days of such leave. However, her request was denied without any stated reason.
The bench questioned why the petitioner had not first sought judicial relief from the Jharkhand High Court before approaching the Supreme Court.
The petitioner's counsel argued that immediate relief was necessary, but the High Court’s rules did not classify the matter as urgent, meaning it would only be listed after the summer recess.
ADJ Kashika M. Prasad, previously posted at the Hazaribagh District Court, had recently been transferred, making childcare management challenging as a single parent—prompting her leave request.
After the petition was filed and mentioned for urgent hearing, the Supreme Court agreed to take up the case but questioned the grounds for rejecting the leave request.
The counsel emphasised that no reason was provided in the rejection order.
(inputs from IANS)