Jharkhand High Court orders BIT Mesra to pay ₹20 lakh in compensation to family of murdered Dalit student
Jharkhand High Court Orders Compensation for Dalit Student's Family
The Jharkhand High Court has directed the Birla Institute of Technology (BIT), Mesra, to pay a compensation of ₹20 lakh to the parents of a Dalit student who was murdered on its campus last year.
The tragic incident occurred in 2024, when the third-semester student was subjected to caste-based harassment and multiple violent attacks, described by the court as a "brutal assault." The court strongly condemned the institution's negligence and administrative failure that led to the student's death.
The court criticized BIT Mesra for several lapses, including the absence of a complete boundary wall, allowing external threats to the campus; non-functioning CCTV cameras in crucial areas, including the hostel; and providing false information to the victim’s parents, claiming excessive alcohol consumption to mask the actual cause.
The institute’s college dispensary also failed to provide proper medical care to the injured student, contributing to the fatal outcome. Justice Sanjay Prasad emphasized that the fundamental right to life (Article 21 of the Indian Constitution) cannot be violated through negligence or casual administrative approaches by educational institutions or state authorities.
In addition to the monetary compensation, the court ordered the Jharkhand government officials to formulate comprehensive Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for engineering, medical, and technical colleges, including provisions for on-campus medical facilities near hostels for emergencies.
The ruling also issued preventive guidelines to curb ragging and assaults on campuses and urged immediate state intervention to improve security in state universities. The criminal appeal in this case is recorded as Cr. Appeal (SJ) No. 149 of 2025, titled Mausam Kumar Singh v. State of Jharkhand.
The High Court’s decision highlights serious lapses at BIT Mesra in student safety, infrastructure, and administration that directly contributed to the tragedy. The order was issued on August 13, 2025.
The High Court's decision in Mausam Kumar Singh v. State of Jharkhand has sparked a general-news debate about the safety and administrative measures in educational institutions, with the crime-and-justice system coming under scrutiny for the lapses revealed at BIT Mesra. The court's ruling emphasized the need for engineering, medical, and technical colleges to implement comprehensive Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and improve security to prevent future tragedies, raising politics questions about the accountability of educational institutions and the state in preserving the fundamental right to life.
