In a significant order on Tuesday, the Chhattisgarh High Court directed the state government to pay ₹25,000 as compensation to each of the 84 students who were served a mid-day meal contaminated by a stray dog at a government middle school in Balodabazar-Bhatapara district last month. The amount is to be paid within one month.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice Ramesh Sinha and Justice Vibhu Datt Guru took suo motu cognizance of the incident, treating it as a public interest litigation (PIL), and sought a detailed affidavit from the state government.
The Incident
On July 28, students at the government middle school in Lachhanpur village, Balodabazar-Bhatapara district, were served mid-day meals allegedly contaminated after a stray dog was seen eating from the food. The students informed the teachers, who instructed that the food not be served. However, the self-help group (SHG) responsible for meal preparation allegedly ignored the instructions and proceeded to serve the same food to the children.
State’s Defence Rejected
In its response, the state government informed the court that all affected students had undergone health check-ups and were found to be fit. Additionally, all students were administered three doses of anti-rabies vaccine.
The court, however, dismissed the government’s arguments and held that the incident reflected a serious lapse on the part of the administration.
“The failure to ensure food safety in mid-day meals clearly amounts to state negligence,” the bench observed. “Therefore, each student shall be paid ₹25,000 in compensation within one month.”
Actions Taken So Far
The SHG responsible for cooking the meal has been blacklisted and barred from availing any future government benefits.
The acting principal of the school, Santosh Kumar Sahu, along with the cluster in-charge, headmaster, teacher, and cluster coordinator were suspended on August 6.
All affected students remain under medical observation and have received three anti-rabies vaccine doses.
Government Measures Post-Incident
Following the incident, the district collector issued new guidelines to the School Education Department regarding the preparation and distribution of mid-day meals. The Directorate of School Education has instructed all District Education Officers to:
Ensure strict hygiene and sanitation before food preparation.
Conduct regular inspections of food quality and safety.
Adhere to the standards laid down under the PM POSHAN (Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman) scheme.
