Chhattisgarh High Court Directs State To Pay ₹25,000 Each To Students Served Dog-Soiled Mid-Day Meal
The report had highlighted that meals served by a self-help group at the school were allegedly contaminated by a dog, yet distributed to the children.
Chief Justice Ramesh Sinha, Justice Bibhu Datta Guru, Chhattisgarh High Court
The Chhattisgarh High Court has directed the State Government to pay ₹25,000 as compensation to each student of Government Middle School, Lachchhanpur, who consumed a mid-day meal allegedly soiled by a dog.
The Court took suo motu cognizance of a news report published on August 3 in a Hindi daily. The report had highlighted that meals served by a self-help group at the school were allegedly contaminated by a dog, yet distributed to the children.
A Division Bench of Chief Justice Ramesh Sinha and Justice Bibhu Datta Guru held, “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.”
Advocate Siddharth Dubey appeared for the Respondent.
The Court was informed that a two-member inquiry committee, comprising the Sub-Divisional Officer (Revenue) and the Block Education Officer, had been constituted to investigate the matter. The committee’s findings revealed that the self-help group had continued serving food despite prior complaints from the Headmaster and other teachers. As a result, the group was not only removed from its role in the mid-day meal scheme but was also barred from receiving any future governmental assistance.
In addition to action against the self-help group, several school officials, including the Incharge Principal, Cluster Principal, Incharge Headmaster, and teachers, as well as the Cluster Coordinator, were suspended. The Director of Education also imposed minor penalties on three teachers in connection with the incident. Furthermore, in response to the inquiry, the Collector of Balodabazar issued directives to prevent similar lapses in future, including instructions to fence kitchen sheds, use bleaching powder in kitchens twice weekly, ensure cleanliness and food quality, and involve parents in overseeing meal preparation and distribution. Teachers were also directed to ensure students wash their hands before eating.
The Directorate of School Education also issued statewide guidelines to District Education Officers, mandating regular food safety checks and strict adherence to standards under the Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman Yojana.
During the proceedings, the State Government submitted that it had written to the Central Government requesting a revision of food prices in Anganwadi Centres due to rising costs. However, no response had been received even after seven months.
The High Court directed that the Secretary of the Ministry of Women and Child Development be added as a party to the case and granted a week’s time to file a response regarding the Centre’s position on the matter.
The case has been listed for further hearing on September 17, 2025.
Cause Title: In The Matter Of Suo Moto Public Interest Litigation v. The Chief Secretary & Ors.
Appearance:
Respondents: Advocates Siddharth Dubey, Ishan Verma, Amiyakant Tiwari, Y.S. Thakur, Tushar Dhar Diwan