Gov't withdraws appeal in pregnant teacher case

The government has today withdrawn its appeal against a relief teacher who challenged the Education Ministry and the government over a discriminatory rule, barring those who are pregnant to gain employment there.

The case came up at the Court of Appeal today, where senior federal counsel Shamsubol Hassan informed the court that the government was withdrawing its appeal.

Following this, lawyer Edmund Bon - acting for Noorfadilla Ahmad Saikin, 29 - has asked for the appeal to be struck off and applied costs of RM5,000 for preparing documents in the appeal.

The three-member bench led by Justice Clement Allan Skinner, agreed to strike off the government's appeal and granted the costs of RM5,000.

It was reported on July 12, 2011 that the Shah Alam High Court had ruled in a landmark judgment that as Malaysia is a signatory of the United Nations' Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (Cedaw) in 1995, the government cannot use pregnancy as an excuse not to employ Noorfadilla.

[More to follow]