Delhi HC Extends Child Care Leave Rights to Female Teachers

By: Women Entrepreneurs Review Team | Friday, 12 June 2026

A landmark decision was made by the Delhi High Court (HC) recently regarding women teachers employed in private schools being granted the same Child Care Leave (CCL) benefits as women teachers working in government institutes. The decision was made based on the equality clause of the Constitution of India.

The verdict was rendered by a bench headed by Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela.

As a result of the exercise of ensuring accountability, the court overturned the previous ruling made by the single judge bench. It also underscored the fact that recognised private educational institutions are not allowed to deny Child Care Leave to women teachers concerning the welfare of their children.

With respect to establishing the standards for compliance, the court held that teachers employed by private schools have the same right to enjoy leaves as by the government officials. The court arrived at this decision based on Rule 111 of the Delhi School Education Rules of Delhi.

Key Highlights:

• Delhi HC grants equal Child Care Leave rights to private school teachers
• Court strikes down earlier ruling, upholds CCL under constitutional equality
• 730-day CCL entitlement affirmed for women teachers in private schools

CCL is a recognised category of leave available to government school teachers under Rule 43-C, Central Civil Services (Leave) Rules, 1972 (CCS Rules).

In accordance with the Central Civil Services (CCS) Leave Rules, female workers employed in private institutions enjoy a provision of 730 days (2 years) of Child Care Leave during their working life. This leave can be availed in relation to raising and looking after the first two living children of the worker. Each application for CCL shall be made for a period not less than 15 days and no more than 3 times within one year.

This decision will drive change towards more gender-sensitive policies, as it marks an important step that recognizes the need for protection of women’s rights, especially in private educational establishments. It is also encouraging ongoing efforts to integrate gender sensitivity into the job structure to ensure equal treatment of women in all sectors.

According to the Indian Express, the June 5 order noted“…Rule 111 grants the benefit of leave of absence to an employee of a recognised private school, whether aided or unaided, at par with such employees working in a corresponding status in a government school, in our opinion, the benefit of CCL will be available to those employees working in unaided recognised and privately managed schools in Delhi as well, as is available to the employees of the government schools,”

In terms of educational rights as well as gender rights organizations, there has been a positive response toward the decision. This ruling can be said to be progressive, since it marks an important step towards equality in the workplace among the female employees.

It helps lay down strong grounds for creating proper balance between life at work and that at home. Additionally, this will help women teachers in the private schools become more satisfied in their jobs and stay motivated.