India, Jan. 31 -- The Supreme Court on Friday held that access to menstrual hygiene is inseparable from the constitutional right to life, ruling that forcing girls to manage menstruation without privacy, dignity or basic facilities violates Article 21 of the Constitution.

A bench of justice JB Pardiwala and justice R Mahadevan said menstruation does not merely raise sanitation concerns but implicates "personal liberty, privacy, and decisional freedom".

The court issued a series of directions to ensure functional toilets, sanitary napkins and menstrual support systems in every school across the country.

It directed the Union government, in consultation with the states and Union territories, to formulate a "uniform and comprehensive nati...