The Delhi High Court on Wednesday issued notice to the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) and several government bodies on a public interest litigation (PIL) alleging that sanitary pad vending machines at metro stations in the national capital are faulty and inadequate.
A bench of Chief Justice D.K. Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela sought responses from the DMRC, the Delhi government, the Women and Child Development Ministry, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, and the Delhi Commission for Women.
The petition, filed by advocate Nikhil Goyal, called for urgent measures to install and operate sanitary pad vending machines along with proper disposal facilities in all women’s toilets at metro stations. Highlighting that lakhs of women rely on the Delhi Metro daily, the plea argued that the absence of functional menstrual hygiene facilities directly impacts their health, dignity, and fundamental rights.
According to the PIL, only a limited number of women’s toilets at Delhi Metro stations are equipped with basic menstrual hygiene infrastructure. “The liability of the state to ensure menstrual hygiene cannot be waived or diminished by offering partial concessions,” it stated, emphasising that the right to sanitation is recognised as a fundamental human right under both international norms and the Indian Constitution.
The petition contended that merely acknowledging sanitation as a right is ineffective without tangible infrastructure and inclusive policies. It also sought the formulation of a comprehensive menstrual hygiene policy for public transport systems and the creation of a monitoring and grievance redressal mechanism to address menstrual health-related complaints in the Delhi Metro.
The matter will be heard further after the respondents file their replies.
