The perspicacious judgment of the Supreme Court last week encapsulating the right to menstrual health and hygiene into the fundamental right to life and dignity under Article 21 of the Constitution is precisely the kind of intervention needed, with all the power of Thor’s hammer. The Court ordered States and Union Territories to ensure that every school has functional, gender-segregated toilets, and wrote in punitive action for non-compliance. The lack of access to health-care products during menstruation, even clean water and toilets, arises from a clear, gendered lack of equity. Commitment from a policy and financial perspective alone can ensure menstrual hygiene for all young girls and women and enable them to achieve their full potential. As the judges said, inspired by the motto of The Pad Project: “A period should end a sentence, not a girl’s education.”

Source: The Hindu February 03, 2026 05:20 UTC