NEW DELHI: The Chhattisgarh High Court has ordered the state government to compensate 84 students with Rs 25,000 each after they consumed dog-soiled mid-day meals at a middle school in Balodabazar-Bhatapara district in July.
The court's division bench found negligence on the part of the government and mandated the payment to be made within one month despite the state's argument that the affected students had received anti-rabies treatment and were medically fit.
The ruling came after the High Court took suo motu cognizance of the incident as a Public Interest Litigation and demanded an affidavit from the state government.
The incident occurred on July 28 at the government middle school in Lachchhanpur village, where a self-help group was responsible for preparing mid-day meals.
According to the government's inquiry report, students noticed that a dog had contaminated their food and alerted teachers. Despite teachers advising against distributing the soiled food, SHG members ignored the directive and served it to students.
The Chief Medical and Health Officer reported that all affected students received three doses of anti-rabies vaccine by August 8. The students were found medically fit after health check-ups and continued attending school regularly.
As a precautionary measure, Primary Health Centre personnel at Lachchhanpur are keeping the children under continuous observation.
The authorities took disciplinary action by removing the SHG from mid-day meal preparation duties and barring them from future government benefits. Several school officials, including the in-charge Principal, Cluster Principal, and teachers, were suspended on August 6.
Following the incident, the Balodabazar-Bhatapara collector issued new directives for mid-day meal preparation and distribution to school education department officials.
The Directorate of School Education also implemented new guidelines for District Education Officers to ensure cleanliness, hygiene, and regular quality checks under the Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman Yojana.
The state government defended its position by stating no compensation was necessary as the students were medically fit after examination.
"Considering the fact that it was an institution of the government and SHG was assigned to provide mid-day meal, but the said mid-day meal was soiled by a dog and it was unfit for consumption for the students of the school. And though three doses of anti-rabies has been administered to 84 children of the school, it was negligent on the part of the state to take care that the food which was being offered in the mid-day meal by the SHG to the children of middle school, we deem it proper that Rs 25,000 be paid by the state to each of the student of the concerned middle school, who had consumed the said meal, within a period of one month from today (August 19)," the bench noted.
The High Court concluded with an observation: "We hope and trust that the state would be more vigilant and careful in providing mid-day meal to the children studying in government schools."
The order was delivered by a division bench comprising Chief Justice Ramesh Sinha and Justice Bibhu Datta Guru on Tuesday.
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