Easy access to clean toilets a basic right, essential for human dignity, says Supreme Court judgment

The Supreme Court on Wednesday declared that easy access to clean public toilets for all — including men, women, persons with disabilities, and transgender persons — is not just a matter of convenience but a basic right and an essential part of human dignity. “Though public toilets are built near every toll plaza in the National Highways across the country, we seldom find them to be maintained and accessible,” a Bench of Justices J.B. Pardiwala and R. Mahadevan observed in a 34-page judgment. Justice Mahadevan, who authored the verdict, observed that States and Union Territories have an important duty to not only provide easy access to clean washrooms and drinking water to all regardless of their sex or gender but also ensure that these restrooms were maintained throughout the year. Noting that failing to act promptly would compromise the very purpose and essence of the judiciary’s role in the society, the Supreme Court issued a series of directions to the States and Union Territories to ensure the construction and availability of separate toilet facilities for gender-sensitive washrooms and submit a status report in four months.