New Delhi, Oct 17 (PTI) The Supreme Court on Friday said it was necessary to ensure that directions issued by it for construction and availability of toilets in all court premises and tribunals across the country are “duly and scrupulously complied” with to make these facilities more meaningful.

In a verdict delivered on January 15, the apex court had passed a slew of directions, including to the high courts and all states and Union territories, to ensure availability of separate toilet facilities for males, females, persons with disabilities and transgenders in all court premises and tribunals.

The matter came up for hearing on Friday before a bench of justices J B Pardiwala and K V Viswanathan for reporting compliance of the directions issued by the top court.

“What is necessary now is to ensure that the directions are duly and scrupulously complied with to make the facilities, which we had asked the states and Union territories to provide, more meaningful,” the bench said.

In its January 15 verdict, the top court had said the high courts shall oversee and ensure that these facilities were clearly identifiable and accessible to judges, advocates, litigants and court staff.

It had directed that a committee be constituted in each high court for this purpose.

The top court had also directed the states and Union territories to allocate sufficient funds for construction, maintenance and cleanliness of toilet facilities within the court premises, which shall be periodically reviewed in consultation with the committee.

On Friday, the bench noted that status reports from the high courts were received in the matter.

“It is now up to the committee of each of the high courts to ensure that the house keeping department whose services are engaged are scrupulously abiding by what has been said in the main judgement,” it said.

“We would like to have one more report from all the high courts once again after a period of six months,” it said and posted the matter for hearing after six months.

In its judgement, the apex court had said that public health was of paramount importance and creation of adequate public toilets also protects the privacy and removes the threat to women and transgender persons.

“Courts should not be places where basic needs such as sanitation, are overlooked and neglected. The absence of adequate washroom facilities undermines equality and poses a barrier to the fair administration of justice,” it had said.

The court’s judgement had come on a petition seeking to ensure that basic toilet facilities were made available in all courts and tribunals in the country for men, women, persons with disabilities and transgenders. PTI ABA ZMN

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