"Important Issue" : Supreme Court On Plea Seeking Free Sanitary Napkins For School Girls; Issues Notice To Centre, States

A Supreme Court bench comprising Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and Justice PS Narasimha has issued notice to the Central Government and all states and Union Territories in a plea seeking free sanitary napkins to all adolescent girls in schools.

The petitioner, a social worker, had invoked the Supreme Court's jurisdiction under Article 32 in the matter. The petition also sought for separate girls' washrooms in all government, aided and residential schools along with cleaners for the same. 

As per the petition, the inadequate Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) options were a major barrier to education, with many girls dropping out of school due to lack of access to sanitation facilities, menstrual products and the stigma associated with menstruation. The court recognised the importance of the issue and requested Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta to assist in the matter. 

At the outset, Advocate Varun Thakur, appearing for the petitioner submitted that as per a report by Dasra, over 23 million girls dropped out of school annually due to lack of proper MHM facilities. The difficulties faced by the girls were only compounded by the fact that several educational institutions lacked basic toilet facilities. 

The petition not only prayed for free sanitary napkins and toilets in school, but also prayed for a three stage awareness program that -

1. Creates awareness about menstrual health and dispels the taboo surrounding it

2. Provides adequate sanitation facilities and subsidised or free sanitary products to women, especially in disadvantaged areas.

3. Ensures an efficient and sanitary manner of menstrual waste disposal.

The matter has been listed for the second week of January 2023.

CASE TITLE: Jaya Thakur v GoI And Ors. WP(C) No. 1000/2022 

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