The Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) has filed a petition urging the Supreme Court to act against menstrual shaming after the Rohtak pad photo incident, seeking nationwide guidelines to uphold women’s dignity, privacy, and bodily autonomy.
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NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) has filed a petition before the Supreme Court of India seeking urgent judicial intervention against what it describes as the “rampant violation of dignity, privacy, and bodily autonomy” of women and girls in workplaces and educational institutions across the country.
The petition, filed through Advocate-on-Record Pragya Baghel, highlights shocking instances of menstrual shaming and invasive practices targeting women in institutional settings.
Rohtak Sanitation Workers Forced to Send Pad Photos
The plea was triggered by a recent incident at Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak (Haryana), where three female sanitation workers were allegedly forced to send photographs of their sanitary pads to prove that they were menstruating.
According to reports, the workers were called in on a Sunday, despite feeling unwell, due to a gubernatorial visit. When they requested leave, they were “verbally abused, humiliated, and pressured” until they provided the photographs as proof.
The SCBA’s petition lists several other disturbing incidents of period-related discrimination and humiliation in India:
- 2017, Uttar Pradesh: 70 girls were allegedly stripped naked to check for menstrual blood.
- 2020, Gujarat: Students at a girls’ college were forced to remove their underwear for inspection.
- July 2025, Maharashtra: Girls were reportedly subjected to physical checks after a school principal screened photographs showing bloodstains.
The plea argues that these incidents amount to a gross violation of fundamental rights guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution of India, which ensures the right to life, dignity, privacy, and bodily integrity.
The petition states,
“…these incidents of women and girls being subjected to invasive and degrading checks in various institutional settings to check whether they are menstruating is in gross violation of their right to life, dignity, privacy and bodily integrity under Article 21 of the Constitution of India. Women workers, especially unorganised workers, have a right to decent working conditions which respect their biological differences and make room for adequate concessions such that they are not subject to humiliating checks when they are suffering from menstruation-related pain and discomfort.”
The SCBA has grounded its arguments in several key constitutional precedents, including:
- K.S. Puttaswamy v. Union of India (2017): Recognized bodily privacy as an essential part of the right to life.
- Suchita Srivastava v. Chandigarh Administration (2009): Affirmed reproductive autonomy as a facet of personal liberty.
- Vishaka v. State of Rajasthan (1997): Upheld a woman’s right to a safe and dignified workplace.
The plea also cites the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital rape and murder case, where the apex court emphasized that safe working conditions are vital for ensuring gender equality and workplace dignity.
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SCBA’s Prayers Before the Supreme Court
The SCBA has requested the Supreme Court of India to:
- Direct the Central and Haryana governments to conduct a thorough inquiry into the Rohtak University incident.
- Issue nationwide guidelines to protect women’s health, dignity, privacy, and bodily autonomy in workplaces and educational institutions.
The Association stressed that unorganized women workers, especially those in sanitation and manual labor sectors, must be given decent working conditions that respect biological differences and allow for menstrual health accommodations, not humiliation.