Bihar: 10-yr sentence for school principal in Chhapra mid-day meal poison case

A local court in Chhapra, Bihar, on 29 August, gave a ten-year sentence to the principal of the Gandaman Government Primary School in connection with the case in which 23 school students died after eating a poisonous mid-day meal in July 2013.

School principal Meena Devi was convicted while her husband was acquitted by the court on 25 August.

The court found Meena Devi guilty of serving the poisonous mid-day meal to students and convicted her of culpable homicide "not amounting to murder".

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

As per reports, the deaths were caused by pesticide contamination of the mid-day meal.

Arjun Yadav, Meena's husband was alleged to have stacked pesticide at her home for agricultural use, which was said to have been 'inadvertently', used as edible oil in a mid-day meal prepared for the students.

-ANI