Supreme Court warns states of possible contempt notices over delays in implementing its menstrual hygiene ruling protecting girls’ fundamental rights.
DIMAPUR — The Supreme Court has warned that it may issue contempt notices to chief secretaries of states, including Nagaland, if they fail to respond to the Union government on steps taken to implement its judgement recognising menstrual hygiene as part of the fundamental right to life.
In an order dated October 13, a Bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan noted that states and Union Territories had not responded to the Union government’s request for information on implementation of the judgement, despite an earlier direction to report on deficiencies identified by the court.
The court reiterated that menstrual hygiene and menstrual health were facets of Article 21 of the Constitution. It said the judgement was intended to address the difficulties faced by young girls, particularly in remote areas, who were giving up education because of menstrual hygiene-related problems.
The Bench directed the Union government to seek written information from each state and Union territory on steps taken to implement the judgement. It suggested preparing a questionnaire covering all aspects of the matter and warned that contempt notices would be issued to the chief secretaries concerned if some states or Union TERRITORIES failed to respond by the next hearing.
The court granted one final opportunity to comply with its directions and scheduled the next hearing for December 14.
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