Employment Law and Labour Law

In employment relationships, resignation is often perceived as a simple unilateral act, reduced to a letter placed on an employer's desk. Indian jurisprudence, however, treats resignation as a legally...

In Hamsaanandini Nanduri v Union of India, the Supreme Court examined whether adoptive mothers could be denied maternity benefit merely because the adopted child was older than three months. The challenge was first mounted against the Maternity Benefit Act, 1961 (“the Act”), but after the Code on Social Security, 2020 (“the Code”) came into force on November 21, 2025, the Court treated the Code as the operative provision.

This article examines how Indian courts resolve conflicts between different employment documents, including appointment letters, employee handbooks, service rules, statutory frameworks and standing orders. In practice, these instruments often operate together but are not always aligned, giving rise to disputes over which terms should prevail.