Survey all Delhi police stations to ensure availability of sanitary pads: HC

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday directed the Delhi Police commissioner to conduct, within six weeks, a survey of all police stations in city to assess the availability of sanitary pad vending machines and exclusive washroom facilities for women police personnel, and ensure these are provided wherever unavailable

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday directed the Delhi Police commissioner to conduct, within six weeks, a survey of all police stations in city to assess the availability of sanitary pad vending machines and exclusive washroom facilities for women police personnel, and ensure these are provided wherever unavailable.

A bench of chief justice DK Upadhyaya and justice Tejas Karia also asked the commissioner to file a compliance report detailing the steps taken. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

A bench of chief justice DK Upadhyaya and justice Tejas Karia also asked the commissioner to file a compliance report detailing the steps taken.

“We require the police commissioner to get a survey conducted of police stations in Delhi and submit a report of vending pad machines and appropriate facilities of washroom for use exclusively for women police personnel. The survey shall be completed in six weeks, whereafter, based on the report, appropriate steps shall be taken by the Delhi Police to provide sanitary pad vending machines and exclusive washrooms,” the court said.

The directions came while hearing a petition filed by the NGO Justice for Rights Foundation. The bench issued notice to the Delhi Police, the Centre and the Delhi government, seeking their responses.

The petition sought directions to install and maintain functional sanitary pad vending machines and incinerators at all police stations, besides ensuring hygienic washrooms exclusively for women police personnel and female visitors.

The NGO argued that denying women police personnel access to basic menstrual hygiene facilities and clean, private washrooms violates their fundamental rights to dignity, health, privacy and humane working conditions under Articles 14, 15 and 21 of the Constitution.

It relied on district-wise Right to Information (RTI) responses obtained between July and August 2025 from all 18 districts and units of the Delhi Police, which, according to the petition, showed that functional sanitary pad vending machines and waste incinerators were absent from police stations across the city. The petition contended that the lack of such facilities adversely affects thousands of women personnel serving in the force.