Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Thursday issued notices to the Central and State governments, seeking their response to a plea for exemption of Goods and Services Tax (GST) on sanitary pads.
The Shetty Women Welfare Foundation, a A city-based NGO, had approached the court on June 29 stating exemption of GST on sanitary napkins was necessary to make access to basic menstrual hygiene products easier.
A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Manjula Chellur and Justice N.M. Jamdar issued notices to the Centre and the State government and posted the matter for hearing after four weeks. The petition contended that only 12% women in India can afford sanitary napkins, thus keeping it out of reach of the remaining. Under the GST regime that rolled out on July 1, sanitary napkins fall in the 12% tax category.
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