Raipur, Aug 20 In a stern rebuke to administrative negligence, the Chhattisgarh High Court has directed the state government to pay Rs 25,000 compensation each to 84 children of Government Pre-Secondary School in Lachhanpur village, Palari block, who were served food contaminated by a stray dog and later administered anti-rabies injections without parental consent or departmental disclosure.
The matter is listed for hearing on September 17.
The incident, which occurred on July 28, came to light after a news channel reported it on August 2.
According to the investigation, a stray dog entered the school kitchen and consumed part of the vegetable curry prepared for the mid-day meal. Despite being aware of the contamination, the cook and the in-charge headmaster allegedly served the same food to the students. Following complaints from parents, all 84 children were quietly given three doses of anti-rabies injections, but the school failed to inform the Education Department.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice Ramesh Sinha and Justice BD Guru, while hearing the matter on Tuesday, expressed serious concern over the report submitted by the district Collector and the Education Department’s response.
The court ruled that the state had failed in its duty to ensure safe and hygienic food for schoolchildren and ordered compensation to be paid within one month. “The government and the self-help group assigned to provide mid-day meals were negligent. The food was unfit for consumption, and despite administering anti-rabies injections, the matter was suppressed. We deem it proper that Rs 25,000 be paid by the State to each student who consumed the meal,” the bench stated.
Following the media exposure and preliminary inquiry, the Jai Laxmi Self Help Group responsible for the mid-day meal was removed. District Collector Deepak Soni suspended the school’s in-charge headmaster, Netram Giri and teacher Vedprakash Patel on August 5. Additionally, annual salary increments of three other teachers—LB Ravilal Sahu, LB Nemichand Baghel, and LB Nampyari Dhruv—were withheld for dereliction of duty.
On August 6, cluster coordinator Yogesh Kumar Patel was also found guilty of negligence for failing to report the incident to higher authorities. District Education Officer Rakesh Sharma confirmed the court’s order and stated that steps are being taken to ensure such lapses do not recur.
The case has sparked widespread outrage and renewed calls for stricter oversight of mid-day meal programmes across the state.
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