This Article is From Aug 07, 2013

Bihar mid-day meal tragedy: School principal's jail custody extended by 14 days

Bihar mid-day meal tragedy: School principal's jail custody extended by 14 days

File picture of victims of the mid-day meal tragedy being treated at a hospital in Patna

Chhapra: The principal of the government school at Chhapra in Bihar where 23 students had died after eating poisonous mid-day meal was today remanded in jail custody for 14 more days.

Chhapra Chief Judicial Magistrate Arun Kumar Jha extended the judicial custody of Meena Devi by 14 days till August 19 in the mid-day meal tragedy that took place last month.

On July 25 the court had sent her to judicial custody till August 5.

The principal of Dharmasati Gandaman primary school had gone into hiding after the incident and was arrested nearly 10 days after the incident. An FIR was registered with Mashrakh police station against her under section 302 (murder) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) in the midday meal incident on July 16.

Her husband Arjun Rai, who has been accused of purchasing the poisonous pesticide which got mixed in the mid-day meal served to the children, is still absconding.

Meena Devi was last week subjected to polygraph test by an expert team from Central Forensic Science Laboratory of Delhi to verify her statement over the incident.

Arjun Rai had recently sought an anticipatory bail from a Chhapra court, which in turn sought the case dairy from the police.

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