The Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) has approached the apex court seeking a probe into shocking allegations that female sanitation workers at Maharshi Dayanand University (MDU), Rohtak, were asked to provide pictures of their private parts to prove they were menstruating.
In its plea, the SCBA has urged the Supreme Court to direct the Centre and the Haryana government to conduct a detailed inquiry into the incident. It has also sought the framing of guidelines to protect the dignity, privacy, bodily autonomy, and health rights of women during menstruation.
The controversy erupted after three sanitation workers at MDU alleged that two contractual supervisors forced them to continue working despite informing them they were unwell due to their periods.
When they refused to speed up their work, the supervisors allegedly demanded photographic proof of menstruation and threatened them with dismissal.
An FIR was registered on October 31 under charges of sexual harassment, criminal intimidation, assault, and insult to the modesty of women. Police said provisions of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act may also be invoked.
The university has suspended the two supervisors and initiated an internal probe. The incident reportedly took place on October 26, ahead of a scheduled visit by Haryana Governor Ashim Kumar Ghosh.
Assistant Registrar Shyam Sunder, whom the supervisors allegedly cited as the source of the orders, has denied issuing any such directive.
The SCBA’s petition calls the incident a “gross violation of women’s fundamental rights” and seeks systemic safeguards to prevent similar abuses in the future.
(With inputs from PTI)