The Chhattisgarh High Court directed the State government to give Rs 25,000 each to students of a middle school where dog-licked food was served as midday meal. The Court strongly criticized the negligence and ordered strict action.
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BILASPUR: The Chhattisgarh High Court has taken strict action after an incident where students of a Government Middle School in Lachhanpur, Block Palari, District Balodabazar, were served food soiled by a dog under the midday meal scheme on July 28.
A Division Bench of Chief Justice Ramesh Sinha and Justice Bibhu Datta Guru said that the health of children was put at risk because of negligence.
The Court noted that the affected children were given three doses of anti-rabies vaccines and were attending school regularly. Still, it found the State responsible and ordered compensation.
The Court said,
“Considering the fact that it was an institution of the Government and self help group was assigned to provide mid-day meal, but the said mid-day meal was soiled by the 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 self help group 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.”
The Court had earlier, on August 4, taken suo motu cognizance of a media report on the shocking incident.
According to the report, food licked by a dog was distributed to students, and only after parents protested, anti-rabies vaccines were given. The High Court, while expressing strong displeasure, had said,
“Providing food to the students studying in the schools is not an empty formality and the same has to be done with dignity. A person, especially innocent child cannot be served any eatables which has been licked / soiled by a dog. When the State Government is spending so much of funds for upliftment of the schools and its paraphernalia, then such lapses on the part of the authorities responsible for its functioning, is a matter of serious concern.”
On August 19, the State’s School Education Department informed the Court that strict action had already been taken.
The contract for midday meal at the school was withdrawn from Self Help Group Jai Laxmi Swa Sahayata Samuh. The Court was also told that the principal in-charge and the cluster principal were suspended on August 6, along with other teachers.
The government further assured the Court that all children were under continuous medical observation at the Primary Health Centre, Lachhanpur.
The High Court made it clear that such negligence cannot be repeated. It observed,
“We hope and trust that the State would be more vigilant and careful in providing mid-day meal to the children studying in the Government Schools.”
The matter will again come up for hearing on September 17.
CASE TITLE:
IN THE MATTER OF SUO MOTO PUBLIC INTEREST LITIGATION Versus THE CHIEF SECRETARY
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