The Chhattisgarh High Court has expressed serious concern over the deteriorating condition of classrooms and the alarming shortage of functional toilets in government schools across the state, observing that earlier directions issued by the court have failed to bring about meaningful improvement.
A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Ramesh Sinha and Justice Ravindra Kumar Agrawal, while hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) on February 24, 2026, took note of a recent media report highlighting the grim state of girls’ sanitation facilities in schools. The bench remarked that despite previous suo motu cognizance and clear instructions, the ground reality remains largely unchanged.
According to the report placed before the court, more than 5,000 schools in the state do not have separate toilets for girls. Additionally, over 8,000 schools reportedly have toilets that are either damaged or in an unusable condition. The judges observed that such deficiencies are causing severe inconvenience to both students and teachers, with reports of urinary infections and increasing discomfort among female students.
The situation in Bilaspur district appears particularly troubling. Court records indicate that more than 160 schools in the district face serious toilet-related issues, while over 200 schools have facilities that are completely non-functional. The bench underscored that the absence of separate and operational toilets for girls could contribute to higher absenteeism and dropout rates, calling the issue a “systemic failure” that disproportionately impacts female students.
The PIL, originally filed in January 2025, had sought remedial measures to address similar concerns. However, the latest data suggests that little progress has been made since then. The court observed that the continued neglect of basic sanitation infrastructure makes everyday schooling difficult for girls and undermines efforts to promote education.
The media report cited data from the Union Education Ministry’s U-DISE 2024–25 statistics, which revealed that out of 56,615 schools in the state, 54,715 have girls’ toilets, but only 52,545 of them are functional. Even after rationalisation reduced the total number of schools to around 38,000, more than 1,000 institutions still lack separate toilets for girls.
With approximately 1.954 million girls enrolled in government schools across Chhattisgarh, the court described the situation as deeply concerning and unacceptable. It reiterated that ensuring separate and functional sanitation facilities is essential to safeguarding the dignity, health, and educational continuity of female students.
Taking the matter seriously, the Division Bench directed the Secretary of the School Education Department, Government of Chhattisgarh, to file a personal affidavit addressing the issues raised in the news report. The matter has been scheduled for further hearing on March 23, 2026.
