Supreme Court Orders 20 High Courts to File Court Toilet Reports Within Eight Weeks

Defaulting courts will face personal appearances by registrar generals as a measure to enforce the fundamental right to sanitation.

Overview

A bench of Justices J B Pardiwala and R Mahadevan expressed disappointment that only five high courts—Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Calcutta, Delhi and Patna—submitted compliance affidavits on sanitation facilities.
The Supreme Court granted the remaining 20 high courts an eight-week deadline to file status reports on separate toilet provisions in court and tribunal premises.
Justices warned that registrar generals of non-compliant courts must appear personally before the Supreme Court if the deadline is missed.
The January 15 ruling recognized access to proper and separate sanitation as a fundamental right under Article 21, extending coverage to men, women, persons with disabilities and transgender individuals.
Each high court must form a committee chaired by a judge and including senior registry and state officials alongside bar representatives to oversee facility planning, funding and maintenance.