Maternity Leave for Contract Employees
Maternity leave will not be affected by the type of employment in which the employee is associated with any company. In the past, there were cases wherein the employer had denied the maternity benefit to female employees on contract. In one such case, the employee had filed a suit in court, and the court favored the employee stating, "The High Court held that maternity benefit is a social and legal acknowledgment for a woman, and denial of such benefit on the basis that the employee is a contract worker is not legal; while also directing the employer to sanction her leave benefit."
I would recommend you not to fight and instead inform them about the knowledge of maternity benefits for a contract employee. :)
Regards