∗(1) A female civil servant may, for the maximum period of ninety days, be granted maternity leave with full pay outside her leave account, at any time, immediately before or after the birth of a child and she shall not be required to provide fitness certificate for purposes of joining duties after such leave.
(2) Such leave may not be granted for more than three times in the entire service of a female civil servant except in the case of a female civil servant employed in a vacation department who may be granted maternity leave without this restriction.
(3) For confinements beyond the third one, the female civil servant (in a non-vacation department) would have to take leave from her normal leave account.
(4) The spells of maternity leave availed of prior to the coming into force of these rules shall be deemed to have been taken under these rules.
(5) Maternity leave may be granted in continuation of, or in combination with, any other kind of leave including extraordinary leave as may be due and admissible to a female civil servant.
(6) Leave salary to be paid during maternity leave shall be regulated as for other leave, in accordance with the existing instructions of the Government.
(7) The leave salary to be paid during maternity leave will, therefore, remain unaffected even if an increment accrues during such leave and the effect of such an increment will be given after the expiry of maternity leave, in the event of resumption of duty by such female civil servant.
**(8) A male civil servant may, for a maximum period of seven days, be granted paternity leave on full pay outside his leave account on or immediately before the birth of his child: Provided that such leave shall be admissible only for two times during the entire service.