Pregnant and on Sick Leave: Can My Company Force Me to Resign Instead of Offering Leave?

I am working as an HR Executive in a company in Bangalore for the last 1.5 years and am in my 6th month of pregnancy now. I am experiencing some health complications, and my doctor has advised me to take bed rest for some time. I am currently on sick leave (it has been 6 days), and I have requested the option to work from home from the company. To my surprise, the company has asked me to resign from my job and offered me three months' salary to leave.

I find it difficult to accept this situation as my intention was to take a leave for some time, then go on maternity leave, and eventually return to my job. Can the company terminate my employment if I choose not to resign and prefer to be on leave instead? I am feeling very confused and would appreciate some advice.

The company ABSOLUTELY CAN'T fire anyone on maternity grounds. This topic has been discussed many times in CiteHR—please use the 'RESEARCH' feature at the top of this page. You will find many threads from which you can collate the inputs/suggestions (including the relevant legal Acts) that apply to your situation and handle it suitably.

You mentioned '...company came back to me asking to resign from the job...'. Was this in writing? If not, please ensure you get all communication from now on in writing. In the worst-case scenario, you will need proofs. If the company tries to convey such instructions only verbally, then I suggest you mail back the gist of the conversation to ensure there's a record—even this point (how to handle such situations) has been covered in some of the earlier threads.

Hope you get the point. All the best.

Regards,
TS