A civil rights group has exposed a major lapse in Delhi's government schools, where more than six lakh girl students have been left without sanitary napkins for the past three months. This disruption directly contravenes clear judicial directives from the Delhi High Court mandating uninterrupted distribution under the Kishori Yojana Scheme.
Legal Notice for Contempt of Court Issued
The situation has escalated to a legal confrontation. A contempt of court notice has been served to Delhi Chief Secretary Rajeev Verma. The notice, sent by the civil rights group Social Jurist, states that the non-distribution since October 2025 is a blatant violation of the High Court's order dated July 6, 2022. There has been no immediate response from the chief secretary's office regarding the allegations.
The legal action stems from a writ petition filed by Social Jurist, which brought the issue to light. The petition reminded authorities that the Directorate of Education (DoE) formulated the Kishori Yojana Scheme specifically to ensure access to sanitary napkins for girl students in classes VI to XII, aiming to safeguard their personal hygiene and overall health.
A History of Disruption and Judicial Intervention
This is not the first time the crucial supply has been interrupted. Education activist Ashok Agarwal, representing Social Jurist, highlighted that the distribution previously stopped as early as January 2021. This forced young women into a position of discomfort and potentially hindered their regular school attendance and education.
Following the petition, the Delhi High Court recognized the critical role of menstrual hygiene in preventing girl students from dropping out of school. The court issued several interim orders. In response, the Delhi government informed the court that an e-tender for supply was floated and interim arrangements were being made. Sufficient funds were reportedly allocated to school heads from July 2022 onwards to procure and distribute the napkins to every eligible student.
Deliberate Inaction and Impending Penal Action
Despite these assurances and judicial oversight, the supply chain has broken down once again. Ashok Agarwal condemned the authorities' failure, stating, "The inaction in ensuring uninterrupted distribution is deliberate and intentional and amounts to contempt of HC, attracting penal action."
The legal notice serves as a final warning. It calls for immediate action, demanding that sanitary napkins be provided forthwith to all girl students in classes VI to XII and that the supply continues without further interruption. Failure to comply will result in the initiation of formal contempt of court proceedings against the responsible officials.
This ongoing failure puts the health, dignity, and educational continuity of over 600,000 adolescent girls in Delhi's government schools at serious risk, undermining both public health goals and the right to education.
