A Bench of Chief Justice D.K. Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia asked the Commissioner of Police to survey all police stations within six weeks
| Photo Credit: Hindu file
The Delhi High Court on Wednesday directed Delhi Police to install sanitary pad vending machines at all police stations in the Capital for women personnel and provide them with exclusive washrooms.A Bench of Chief Justice D.K. Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia asked the Commissioner of Police to survey all police stations within six weeks to ascertain the availability of exclusive washrooms and sanitary pads and subsequently take appropriate steps.“Based on the report of the survey, appropriate steps shall be taken by the police to provide each police station with the facility of a sanitary pad vending machine and also an exclusive washroom for women personnel,” the Bench said. The court asked the police to file an affidavit detailing the steps taken pursuant to the directions. It posted the matter for hearing on September 23.The court passed the order on a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking to secure women police personnel’s right to access basic menstrual hygiene and sanitation facilities at the workplace.The PIL, filed by NGO Justice for Rights Foundation, said ensuring such essential infrastructure for women police personnel was indispensable to fulfilling the constitutional mandate under Article 21 of the Constitution, as these facilities are “an essential aspect of the right to live with dignity, health, privacy and humane working conditions”.Relying on information obtained under the RTI Act, the petitioner asserted that despite thousands of women police personnel serving across hundreds of police stations in Delhi, sanitary pad vending machines were available only at a few locations. It also alleged a complete absence of budgetary allocation or policy for providing hygiene facilities and infrastructure.“This omission on the part of the State transcends a mere administrative lapse.... The respondents’ failure to provide such basic infrastructure violates their dignity, health, privacy and safe working conditions, contrary to Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution,” the plea stated.It sought directions to the authorities to install sanitary pad vending machines and incinerators in all police stations and units under Delhi Police, and ensure their continuous functioning and maintenance.The plea also sought clean, functional, private and adequately equipped washrooms exclusively for women police personnel at all Delhi Police establishments. Published - August 06, 2026 12:21 am IST
