The Supreme Court issued a notice to the Centre and the Haryana Government after taking a serious view of allegations raised by the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA). The petition stated that female sanitation workers at Maharshi Dayanand University (MDU), Rohtak, were forced to share private photographs to prove they were menstruating. This incident, described as period shaming, raised urgent concerns about dignity and privacy.
A Bench of Justices BV Nagarathna and R Mahadevan said the episode exposed a deeply troubling mindset. The judges added that when workers reported discomfort, the administration should have assigned the duties to someone else instead of humiliating the women.
Meanwhile, senior advocate Vikas Singh, appearing for the SCBA, called the incident a gross criminal act. He also noted that similar cases had surfaced in other states. Therefore, he urged the court to introduce nationwide guidelines to protect women in institutional spaces.
In response, the Haryana Government informed the court that it had begun an inquiry. It also took action against two staff members and the Assistant Registrar.
The petition further highlighted repeated cases of period shaming across India. Consequently, it demanded stronger safeguards to protect women’s dignity, bodily autonomy and privacy under Article 21.
