Toilets in schools should be clean with proper facilities: SC

NEW DELHI: Toilets in all schools should not be a mere "structure" but they should be clean and have proper facilities, the Supreme Court said today.

"It can be said without any fear of contradiction that a toilet in structure only, is not a toilet in reality. Toilets meant for schools, which are co-educational and the girls schools, have to have such toilets which are clean and acceptable, having proper facilities," a bench of justices Dipak Misra and Prafulla C Pant said.

The observations came while the bench perused two reports submitted by its committee with regard to school toilets in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

"The states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, which are in focus, in this case for the present, cannot have innovative ideas to construct a structure, christen it as a toilet and thereafter forget it. That is not the purpose of providing toilets in the schools," the apex court observed.

"It has to be borne in mind by the authorities of the two states that clean and safe toilets also help in sustaining the health conditions of the students who use it," it said while directing the authorities to frame a scheme in this regard and file within four weeks.

The observation came while the court was hearing a petition filed by J K Raju, seeking direction for providing toilet and drinking water facilities in the states' schools.

The apex court also directed Secretary, School Education Department, of both states to be personally present in court on March 10.