The Supreme Court on Friday sought responses from the Centre, Haryana government and other authorities on a plea alleging that female sanitation workers at Maharshi Dayanand University (MDU), Rohtak, were asked to provide photographs of their private parts as “proof” that they were menstruating.
A bench of Justices BV Nagarathna and R Mahadevan issued notices on the petition and expressed strong concern over the reported conduct.
“This reflects the mindset. In Karnataka, they are giving period leave. After reading this, I thought will they ask proof for giving the leave,” Justice Nagarathna observed.
She added, “This shows the mentality of the persons. If some heavy work could not be done because of their absence, somebody else could have been deployed. We hope something good will happen in this petition.”
During the hearing, Supreme Court Bar Association president and senior advocate Vikas Singh said the matter involved “gross criminal conduct” and required urgent attention.
The petition has been listed for further hearing on December 15. It seeks a direction to the Centre and Haryana to conduct a detailed inquiry and to frame guidelines ensuring that women’s right to health, dignity, bodily autonomy and privacy are protected during menstruation.
According to police, three persons linked with MDU were booked on October 31 for sexual harassment after three sanitation workers alleged they were forced to prove they were menstruating by sending intimate photos.
The university said it had suspended two supervisors hired on contract through the Haryana Kaushal Rozgar Nigam Limited and ordered an internal inquiry.
The alleged incident took place on October 26, hours before Haryana Governor Ashim Kumar Ghosh was scheduled to visit the campus.
In their complaint, the workers said the supervisors insisted they continue cleaning work despite being told they were “unwell” due to their periods. They alleged the supervisors then demanded they “click photos of our private parts to prove it”.
“When we refused, we were abused and threatened with dismissal,” one of the women, who said she had worked at the university for 11 years, stated.
The workers claimed the supervisors said they were acting on the instructions of Assistant Registrar Shyam Sunder, who has denied issuing any such direction.
The SHO of PGIMS police station said an FIR has been registered under provisions related to criminal intimidation, sexual harassment, outraging the modesty of a woman and assault. He added that charges under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act may also be invoked.
