Bar body moves Supreme Court demanding probe into proof of periods asked from female workers
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) has filed a plea in the apex court over allegations that female sanitation workers at the Maharashi Dayanand University, Haryana, were asked to prove through pictures of their private parts that they were menstruating.
The plea has sought directions to the Centre and Haryana to conduct a detailed inquiry into the alleged incident.
The Bar body has also sought guidelines to ensure that the right to health, dignity, bodily autonomy and privacy of women and girls are not violated when they are menstruating.
Three people connected with Maharishi Dayanand University (MDU) here were booked for sexual harassment on October 31 for allegedly asking female sanitation workers to prove through pictures of their private parts that they were having their periods, police said.
The varsity, in a statement, said it had suspended two supervisors, who had been hired through Haryana Kaushal Rozgar Nigam Limited on contract, while an internal probe had been ordered into the incident.
The alleged incident took place on October 26, a few hours before Haryana Governor Ashim Kumar Ghosh was scheduled to visit the campus.
Three female sanitation workers, in a complaint to varsity authorities, alleged that the two supervisors first forced them to clean the complex despite being told they were "unwell" and then asked them to prove they were menstruating.
"We told them we could not work faster as we were unwell due to our periods, but they demanded we click photos of our private parts to prove it. When we refused, we were abused and threatened with dismissal," one of the sanitation workers, who claimed to be employed with MDU for 11 years, alleged.
The women alleged that the supervisors told them they were following Assistant Registrar Shyam Sunder's orders.
Sunder has denied giving any such instruction to the supervisors.
The PGIMS police station SHO said an FIR was registered under charges of criminal intimidation, sexual harassment, intent to insult the modesty of a woman and assault or use of criminal force on a woman.
The accused may also be booked under the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, he said.
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Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
