The Karnataka High Court has installed a sanitary pad vending machine in its premises.

The machine has been installed in one of the ladies washrooms on the Southern Side of Annexe Building on the first floor. It can be used by advocates, the staff of the High Court and litigants. The product is priced at Rs. 5.

This step was taken on the recommendation of Justice BV Nagarathna who is the Chairperson of the High Court Buildings Committee. The Committee will consider the proposal to install similar machines in all the ladies’ washrooms in the High Court.

In October 2017, the Supreme Court had passed a judicial order directing the installation of three sanitary pad vending machines in the Supreme Court campus. This order was passed in a contempt petition against two doctors, who were found guilty of sheltering an ex-MLA accused of murder. The Court had found that the two doctors were guilty of contempt by sheltering the legislator thereby defeating the order of the Court, which had denied bail to the accused legislator.

The Court had also asked the doctors to pay Rs. 1.4 crore to the Supreme Court Registry as punishment. When the amount was deposited, the Court had ordered that out of the above amount, Rs. 5 lakh be utilised for the purchase of three sanitary pad vending machines for dispensing sanitary napkins and three incinerators for disposal of the used sanitary napkins.

Pursuant to the same, sanitary pad vending machines were installed in the Supreme Court in January 2018.

In August 2018, the Delhi High Court had also installed sanitary pad vending machines in the High Court building. Acting on a letter written by a lady advocate Satakashi Verma, then Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal had taken that initiative.

[Read Karnataka High Court Notice]