Clarification on Maternity Leave for Fresh Recruits in Government Departments

Dear Sir/Madam, Greetings of the day! I am writing to seek clarification regarding the entitlement to maternity leave for fresh recruits in government departments under the Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Act, 2017, and the Central Civil Services (Leave) Rules, 1972. Specifically, I would like to understand if newly appointed female employees are eligible for maternity leave irrespective of their length of service. Special Situation:- Given that recruitment and appointment processes can often be lengthy and without pre-set timelines, except for a few cases like those handled by the UPSC, there can be delays in the issuance of appointment orders. In such scenarios, if an employee joins as per the order, now if she has delivered a baby less than a month before joining and also the appointment order is issued a week after her delivery (employee has no information about the issue of appointment order), is it right to deny maternity leave on the grounds that she delivered before her appointment/joining and/or that the female employee is under probation? Additionally, if such a claim is admissible, what would be the period of maternity leave, and from which date would the maternity leave period be calculated? I would greatly appreciate your guidance on this matter or any relevant documents and notifications that provide clarity on this issue. Thank you for your assistance.