New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday directed all states and Union Territories (UTs) to ensure implementation of its directions on menstrual hygiene management in schools by August 15 and to file compliance reports, as it continued monitoring adherence to its landmark ruling recognising access to menstrual hygiene as a fundamental right.
A Bench of Justices J.B. Pardiwala and R. Mahadevan indicated that the matter would next be taken up in September to review compliance status.
The directions were issued in a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by Congress leader Jaya Thakur, in which the apex court has been examining implementation of its earlier judgment mandating free sanitary napkins and functional girls’ toilets in schools.
The court had earlier granted three months to the Centre, states and UTs to implement a series of directions, including provision of free sanitary napkins in schools, functional gender-segregated toilets, menstrual hygiene awareness programmes, and safe sanitary waste disposal systems.
During Monday’s hearing, the Bench was apprised of compliance status by the Union government as well as concerns raised by the petitioner over the pace and quality of implementation across states.
In a note submitted to the court, the petitioner alleged that the Centre’s compliance affidavit did not include any field reports on actual implementation, but instead focused on “future recommendations, proposed reforms and a future roadmap,” which, it argued, could not be treated as compliance with specific directions.
The petitioner further stated that several states have yet to submit compliance reports, adding that “only the Union Territory of Chandigarh has submitted its compliance report so far.”
Citing a NITI Aayog report for 2026, the petitioner highlighted that 98,592 government schools still do not have functional girls’ toilets, while 61,540 schools do not have usable toilets.
It was also alleged that budget allocation for implementation remains inadequate in some states. The petitioner pointed out that the State of Madhya Pradesh has allocated only Rs 60 lakh for the financial year 2026–27 for supplying sanitary products across the entire state.
The petition further raised concerns over the lack of permanent sanitation staff in schools, stating that most states rely on municipalities and village panchayats instead of appointing dedicated sanitation workers.
On May 8, the Supreme Court had taken on record a detailed affidavit filed by the Union government outlining steps taken toward compliance and directed that a concise status report be shared with all parties.
The ongoing monitoring follows a landmark judgment earlier this year in which the apex court held that access to menstrual hygiene forms an integral part of a girl child’s rights to life, dignity, health and education under Article 21 of the Constitution.
Observing that “a period should end a sentence — not a girl’s education,” the court had issued comprehensive directions mandating free sanitary napkins, functional toilets, proper disposal systems, and menstrual health awareness in all schools.
The Bench had also made it clear that both government and private schools must ensure adequate infrastructure, including water supply, handwashing facilities, and menstrual hygiene systems, while directing authorities to conduct regular inspections and monitoring.
With IANS inputs