Report Flags Condition of Women in Panjab’s Jails

March

2026

A recent report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) on the condition of women in the Panjab jails, reflects a deep-seated institutional problem with regards to the treatment of women. The report flagged most jails in Panjab which did not supply the minimum required sanitary pads to ‘eligible’ women prisoners between 2020–23. Women inmates up to the age of 50 are entitled to 5–10 sanitary pads per month, based on the recommendation of the Medical Officer. However, the CAG found that 12 out of 18 test-checked jails, housing between 839 and 1,271 women inmates, failed to provide even the minimum five pads per month. The audit further noted that the average supply of sanitary pads per eligible woman inmate was far below the prescribed norm in 11 of the 12 jails examined, with District Jail Mansa being the only exception. Women inmates in Central Jails at Amritsar and Faridkot and Women Jail Ludhiana were forced to purchase sanitary pads from jail canteens. Mensuration is basic to every woman’s existence and health. It is deplorable that jails in Panjab don’t care to provide women inmates the basic necessities during mensuration. A society engrossed in machismo often fails to look beyond itself and ‘others’ the woman as a non-functioning part of the society. The denial of menstrual hygiene is also a reflection of ingrained systematic bias where women barely speak up for their demands and therefore are invisible in the system. The CAG report also highlights overcrowding in the prisons, which is in line with the Supreme Court of India’s directive on 22 Mar to all states and Union Territories to furnish updated details on prisons and steps taken to address overcrowding by 18 May. The SCI says that the data must include jail-wise capacity, total number of inmates, extent of overcrowding, steps proposed to address it, details of women’s prisons, and facilities for women inmates and accompanying children, including educational and medical support, along with aspects of prison administration (earlier coverage).