The High Court yesterday issued a rule asking the concerned parties as to why a policy should not be formed to provide paternity leave to male employees of public and private institutions in the country.
An HC bench comprising Justice Naima Haider and Justice Qazi Zinat Hoque passed the order after hearing a petition for directives in this regard.
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Cabinet Secretary, Secretaries of Public Administration and Law Ministries and eight others have been made respondents to the rule and asked to submit a report on the overall progress of making the policy within the next 3 months.
Supreme Court lawyer Ishrat Hasan, filed the writ on July 3, stood for the writ petitioner while Deputy Attorney General Amit Dasgupta and Assistant Attorney General Towfiq Sajwar Partho represented the state during the hearing.
Writ petitioner Ishrat Jahan in her petition said a father also plays a vital part in taking care of a newborn and the mother, as it takes a long time for the mother to recover, especially after a cesarean delivery.
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Fathers often find it difficult to take care of their wives and newborns as they don't get paternity leave. This sometimes hampers the proper healing of a mother and deprives the newborn of being nurtured by the father.
She also put forward that the 78 countries including neighbouring India, Pakistan, Bhutan and Sri Lank apply for paternity leave.