NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Wednesday directed the cops to survey all the police stations within six weeks and ensure the availability of functional sanitary pad vending machines and exclusive washrooms for women personnel.
A Bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia issued the direction to the Delhi Police Commissioner while hearing a PIL alleging a near-total absence of basic menstrual hygiene facilities in police stations across the city.
Muskan Singh Bankura, representative of the Women Cell of NGO Justice for Rights Foundation, filed the PIL citing RTI replies obtained in July and August 2025 from all the 18 districts and units of the Delhi Police. The petition alleged an “almost complete absence of functional sanitary pad vending machines, menstrual waste incinerators, and dedicated budgetary allocations for menstrual hygiene across police stations.”
The bench also sought responses on compliance from the Centre through the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Delhi Police and the Delhi government by September 23, the next date of hearing.
The PIL argued that requiring thousands of women police personnel to work without access to these basic facilities of hygiene and conveniences violated their fundamental rights to dignity, health, privacy and humane working conditions.
The NGO has sought directions to immediately install and maintain sanitary pad vending machines and incinerators in all police stations, provide dedicated budgets, frame binding standard operating procedures for menstrual hygiene management, and ensure clean washroom facilities for women personnel and female visitors.
