Clean court washrooms key to dignity, equality: Delhi HC

A woman advocate had highlighted the deplorable and unhygienic condition of washroom facilities in the lawyers’ chamber block at the Saket district court.

Clean and accessible washrooms in court complexes are not peripheral amenities but foundational requirements of a functional justice system, the Delhi high court has said, observing that the condition of such facilities directly affects the dignity, health and equality of citizens.

The Delhi high court complex. (HT Photo)

In an order dated February 25 and released on February 28, a single-judge bench of justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav said court complexes are not merely physical structures but constitutional spaces where citizens seek justice and where judicial officers, advocates and staff discharge public functions. Therefore, the infrastructure of such institutions must meet minimum standards aligned with constitutional values.

“The state of washrooms in court complexes bears directly upon the dignity, health, and equality of the citizens of the country. Court complexes are not merely buildings; rather, they are constitutional spaces where citizens seek justice and where judicial officers, advocates, and staff discharge public functions. The infrastructure of such spaces must reflect the minimum standards consistent with constitutional values,” the court said in its ruling.

The bench added, “Equality under Articles 14 and 15 of the Constitution is not secured by formal declarations alone; it requires institutional arrangements that accommodate basic biological realities. Clean and accessible washrooms are, therefore, to be considered not as peripheral amenities but as foundational requirements of a functional justice system.”

The observations came while the court was disposing of a petition filed by a woman advocate highlighting the deplorable and unhygienic condition of washroom facilities in the lawyers’ chamber block at the Saket district court.

In her plea filed in 2024, the advocate contended that despite submitting a representation pointing out critical issues, including non-functional toilet seats, lack of adequate water supply and the condition of washroom doors, the authorities had neither responded nor taken remedial steps.

The development followed an assurance by counsel for the Public Works Department (PWD) that all necessary steps had been taken in compliance with the court’s September 1, 2025, order directing the department to ensure upkeep and maintenance of existing toilets in the Dwarka and Saket court complexes.

It was further undertaken before the court that the PWD would ensure that women’s washrooms across all court complexes are maintained in a clean and hygienic condition.