PANAJI
The Goa Human Rights Commission (GHRC) has held that curtailing child care leave without giving reasons or allowing the employee to be heard violates the principles of natural justice. It has recommended that a Mapusa-based college reconsider its decision.
A professor approached the Commission alleging that the college had arbitrarily reduced her child care leave from eight months to 89 days without giving reasons or hearing her. The Commission found the decision-making process unfair.
In an inquiry report issued on Monday, Member-I Desmond D’Costa noted that the order restricting the leave gave no reasons for rejecting most of her request. He also pointed out that she was not given an opportunity to rectify what the college later described as a technical defect in her application.
“To protect the human rights of the complainant and her son, and in the interests of justice as she was not heard before passing the order... the Commission recommends that the respondents grant the complainant Child Care Leave from September 1, 2026 to February 27, 2027,” the report stated.
The professor told the Commission that she had sought leave from July 1, 2026 to February 27, 2027 to care for her younger son, a Class XII student. However, after nearly three months, she was informed that only 89 days of leave had been sanctioned, without any explanation. She also alleged workplace harassment over the past two years.
The college and the Diocesan Society of Education opposed the complaint, arguing that it concerned a service matter and could not be examined by the Human Rights Commission. They also said the leave application covered two academic terms and, under the applicable guidelines, could only be granted from the start of the second semester. As a result, they said, leave was sanctioned from December 1, 2026 to February 27, 2027.
The Commission, however, held that it had jurisdiction to examine the child care leave issue. It agreed that the workplace harassment allegations could not be examined as they related to a service matter.
The GHRC has forwarded its inquiry report to the college, the Diocesan Society of Education and the Directorate of Higher Education, asking them to submit their comments and an action taken report or proposed action within 30 days.
