Supreme Court Seeks Nationwide Guidelines Against Period Checks at Workplaces and Educational Institutions
Background of the Case The Supreme Court of India has agreed to examine the need for nationwide guidelines to prevent women and girls from being subjected to invasive “period checks” during menstruation. This direction follows disturbing incidents where employees and students were asked to prove their menstrual status, violating dignity and bodily autonomy. The matter reached the Supreme Court through a petition filed by the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA), which highlighted multiple instances of degrading practices across institutions. Triggering Incident: Haryana University Controversy In October 2024, three female sanitation workers at Maharshi Dayanand University (MDU), Rohtak, complained of menstrual sickness. Instead of being granted relief, the supervisors demanded that the women provide photographs of their sanitary pads as proof. The workers were allegedly verbally abused and coerced into taking photographs in a washroom, causing severe humiliation. Following publ...