The Maharashtra Government on Monday (August 31) told the Bombay High Court that the nearly 17-day hunger strike observed by tribal students at Pune's Manjari area over poor facilities at the Ashram Schools across the State, particularly the ones in tribal belt, has come an end, after the representatives of the protesting students met Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

A division bench of Acting Chief Justice Ravindra Ghuge and Justice Gautam Ankhad was informed that the CM along with the Tribal Development Minister met the representatives of the protesting students and has assured them that their demands would be considered.

"Proper medical care was provided to the protesting students... no student is now hospitalised and everyone is stable... The hunger strike has ended now after the CM met the representatives of the students..." Chief Government Pleader Neha Bhide told the judges.

The bench was further provided with a copy of the 'minutes of meeting' between the CM, the Tribal Development Minister and the protest students' representatives.

According to the minutes, some of the demands accepted are constituting a Special Investigating Team (SIT) into the death of a student due to food poisoning. Further, it has been decided to institute mess services in the hostels instead of direct beneficiary transfer (DBT) scheme.

The bench took the minutes of the meeting on record and ordered the State to file a proper affidavit to the said effect. The bench also converted the instant writ petition into a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) to monitor the overall infrastructure of Ashram Schools in Maharashtra.

Notably, last week, the bench had directed the Maharashtra Government to ensure immediate medical care for the protesting tribal students in Pune who have been on hunger strike, after it was informed that the health of one of the protesting students had deteriorated.

“We do not want a single student to lose his or her life,” ACJ Ghuge had remarked.

The bench had then directed the State to provide appropriate medical facilities to the protesting students and ordered that they be admitted to hospital, if required. It had also directed the authorities to provide food to the students, if necessary. The Court had further taken note of the circumstances that had led the tribal students to commence the hunger strike, including the death of a student allegedly due to food poisoning after consuming food served at a tribal ashram school and an incident in which three students died following snake bites.

The matter would now be heard on September 3.

Case Title: Ashok Kavadu Meshram vs State of Maharashtra