Court awards 17 Years of Jail to School Principal responsible for Death of 23 Children

August,29,2016:

Had fed children Mid Day Meal containing Insecticide.

On Monday Chhapra Court sentenced Gandaman Primary School Principal to 10 years under Sections 304, Indian Penal Code (culpable homicide not amounting to murder)and 7 years imprisonment under Section 308 (Criminal Negligence).

It is in connection with 2013 Midday Meal Tragedy wherein 23 children had died after eating the Soyabean Curry.

The Court has found the Principal negligent for storing Mustard Oil in the container containing insecticide.

The has decided that the punishment of the Principal would run consecutively and not concurrently, thus the effective length of the punishment would be 17 years.

Chhapra Court treated the case as rarest of the rare case and thus awarded maximum punishment to the School Principal Mina Devi.

The court, however, acquitted her of  the murder charges and also attempt to murder and criminal conspiracy.

The Principal used to store groceries used in preparation for the midday meal at her house, and had allegedly kept the mustard oil in the container that had traces of the pesticide left in it.

Principal's husband who is a sugarcane farmer used to keep pesticide at home to sprinkle it on the crops.

Principal was pointed out by the cooks and some students about distinct dark colouration of the oil while soyabean curry was being cooked for about 80 children, but the Principal ignored it.