New Delhi, The Supreme Court on Monday directed that a PIL highlighting the alleged lack of functional sanitation facilities for girls in government schools be placed before a bench that had earlier issued a landmark judgment recognising menstrual health as a component of the fundamental right to life and education.
The counsel referred to a NITI Aayog report, which said more than 98,000 schools continue to lack functional washrooms for girls. The bench then observed that a detailed judgment had already been passed by a bench headed by Justice J B Pardiwala on January 30, and said it would be appropriate for the present PIL to be considered by the same bench.
He said he would examine the directions issued by the court in its earlier judgment before pressing the present plea further. “The issues raised in the present PIL are very important,” the bench said, directing that the matter be listed before the bench headed by Justice Pardiwala.
In a significant ruling aimed at promoting gender justice and educational equality, the top court had issued a series of directions to all states and UTs to ensure that every school, whether government-run, aided or privately managed, provides functional, gender-segregated toilets with usable water connectivity.
“A period should end a sentence, not a girl’s education,” Justice Pardiwala had said while opening the judgment with a quote attributed to American educator and social activist Melissa Berton.
