India, Jan. 30 -- The right to menstrual hygiene is a part of the right to life under the Constitution's Article 21, the Supreme Court said on Friday, and issued a series of directions to ensure functional toilets, sanitary napkins, and menstrual support systems in every school across the country.

A bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan said the absence of "gender-segregated toilets and lack of access to menstrual absorbents" strips girls of "dignity, privacy, equality and meaningful access to education." It added that menstrual health cannot remain a matter of charity or policy discretion. The bench said it flows directly from constitutional guarantees.

The bench passed the order on a plea seeking direction to the Union govern...