Menstrual Health Recognized as Fundamental Right; Cancer on Rise Amongst Women

In a landmark judgement, the Supreme Court of India (SCI) has recognized menstrual health as a fundamental right under Article 21 of the Constitution and has directed all government and private schools to provide separate toilets, clean water, free biodegradable sanitary pads, and safe disposal facilities. Article 21 has consistently been interpreted to include the right to health, dignity, and conditions that make life meaningful. When girls are forced to sacrifice their education or dignity due to biological realities, the harm is constitutional in nature. The judgment recognizes that exclusion arising from menstruation cannot be dismissed as a private inconvenience or personal issue. Following the SCI judgement, government schools in Panjab’s cities are ensuring that girl students receive sanitary pads free of cost, at least in case of emergencies. However, in most private schools, students are still being charged between 2.2–5.5 US cents (INR 2–5) per pad. Private school managements agreed to comply with the order. A Class X student in Ludhiana, requesting anonymity, said there was stigma attached to menstruation and girls often felt hesitant to ask for pads in co-education schools. She said, ‘Though the school authorities keep napkins (regional term for pads) for emergencies, we girls make sure we always keep one or two napkins in our school bags’. Meanwhile, a total of 31,792 women died of cancer across Panjab, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh between 2021–2025, averaging about 17 deaths a day, reveals data compiled under the National Cancer Registry Programme. The data was shared by the Union Health Ministry in the Rajya Sabha (Upper House of Parliament). In the past five years, Panjab recorded 13,299 deaths due to breast, cervical, and ovarian cancers with breast cancer accounting for around 56% of these fatalities. The fatalities rose from 1,418 in 2021 to 1,457 in 2025. Deaths due to cervical cancer also increased with Panjab reporting 691 deaths in 2021 to 710 deaths in 2025. A similar trend can be seen in ovarian cancer where Panjab's women’s deaths rose from 515 in 2021 to 529 in 2025, Haryana's from 593 to 623, and Himachal Pradesh's from 156 to 159 (earlier coverage).