The Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) welcomes the Supreme Court verdict recognising the right to menstrual hygiene. On 29 January 2026, the Supreme Court issued directives to ensure free access to sanitary pads and separate, gender-segregated toilets with usable water connectivity for girls studying in Classes VI to XII in all schools across the country.
In response to a plea filed by Dr Jaya Thakur, a social activist, the Court further ordered the establishment of Menstrual Health Management (MHM) Corners equipped with spare uniforms, innerwear, and disposal bags to address menstruation-related exigencies faced by girls. The directive forms part of a comprehensive judgment directing all States and Union Territories to ensure that “all existing and newly constructed toilets in schools shall be designed, constructed, and maintained so as to ensure privacy and accessibility, including by catering to the needs of children with disabilities. All school toilets shall be equipped with functional hand-washing facilities with soap and water available at all times.”
Justices J.B. Pardiwala and R. Mahadevan have acknowledged that menstrual hygiene is not merely a health issue, but a fundamental component of the Right to Life (Article 21) and the Right to Education (Article 21A), in addition to the Right to Equality (Article 14), which is reflected through the right to participate on equal terms.
According to various studies, 23 per cent of rural girls drop out of school upon reaching puberty. Nearly 23 million girls drop out of school every year not because they do not wish to continue their education, but because their schools lack changing rooms, toilets with water, and cleaning facilities. They also lack access to menstrual hygiene products such as sanitary pads. Social stigma and taboos surrounding menstruation, as well as harassment by fellow students, further contribute to school dropouts. Even girls who continue schooling tend to miss classes during menstruation every month, resulting in the loss of 10 to 20 per cent of school days annually. This has serious adverse impacts on their education. School dropouts also lead to an increase in child labour and child marriage.
It is in this context that CITU welcomes the Supreme Court directive, which can play a significant role in reducing the dropout rate of girls from schools. If implemented effectively, it can also strengthen efforts to improve menstrual hygiene and reproductive health among adolescent girls. As rightly directed by the Court, conducting awareness and training programmes on menstrual hygiene and adolescent health is equally vital.
In some States, such as Kerala, educational institutions provide menstrual leave to girl students. The demands raised by the All-India Coordination Committee of Working Women (CITU) for two days of menstrual leave per month and the installation of sanitary pad vending machines at workplaces and higher educational institutions stand vindicated by the Supreme Court verdict. At the same time, a strong socio-cultural struggle must be waged against all taboos related to menstruation.
CITU calls upon the working class in general, and working women in particular, to actively take up the issue of implementation of the Supreme Court’s directions and to continue campaigns and struggles in support of the rights of girl children and working women.
Issued by
Elamaram Kareem
General Secretary
