The Bombay High Court on Monday took on record the conclusion of a nearly 17-day hunger strike undertaken by tribal students at Pune's Manjari area, which was initiated in protest against inadequate facilities at Ashram Schools across Maharashtra, particularly in tribal regions.
Chief Government Pleader Neha Bhide informed a division bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Ravindra Ghuge and Justice Gautam Ankhad that the protest had ended after representatives of the students met Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and the Tribal Development Minister, who assured them that their demands would be considered.
Bhide stated that proper medical care had been provided to the protesting students during the strike, confirming that no student remained hospitalised and all were stable. She added that the hunger strike had concluded following the meeting with the Chief Minister.
The bench was presented with the 'minutes of meeting' between the Chief Minister, the Tribal Development Minister, and the representatives of the protesting students. According to these minutes, the government agreed to constitute a Special Investigating Team (SIT) to probe the death of a student allegedly caused by food poisoning after consuming meals at a tribal ashram school. It was also decided to replace the direct beneficiary transfer (DBT) scheme for hostel meals with institutional mess services in the hostels.
The court took the minutes of the meeting on record and directed the Maharashtra Government to file a proper affidavit detailing the steps taken in compliance with the assurances given to the students.
Further, the bench converted the existing writ petition into a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) to enable continuous monitoring of the overall infrastructure, living conditions, and functioning of Ashram Schools throughout the state.
The court noted that the hunger strike had been triggered by multiple grievances, including the death of a student due to suspected food poisoning and an earlier incident in which three students died following snake bites at ashram school hostels.
Last week, after being informed of the deteriorating health of one of the protesting students, the bench had directed the Maharashtra Government to ensure immediate medical care for the students and had ordered that they be admitted to hospital if necessary. Acting Chief Justice Ghuge had emphasised that the court did not want any student to lose their life during the protest.
The bench had also directed authorities to provide food to the students if required and had taken note of the systemic issues that led to the unrest, including long-standing concerns about food safety and hostel conditions in tribal ashram schools.
The matter has been adjourned for further hearing on September 3, with the State expected to submit its compliance affidavit by that date.
The case is titled Ashok Kavadu Meshram vs State of Maharashtra.