Chandigarh, Feb. 15 -- Over 12 years after a wall collapse at a private university in Punjab left her permanently disabled, an alumna has been awarded Rs.1.37 crore as compensation by the Punjab and Haryana high court. ".every student possesses a right to obtain education in a safe environment, free from physical hazards, and the same is a crucial aspect of Articles 21 and 21A of the Constitution. The corresponding duty to fulfil this right lies on the authorities charged with the function of running the institution," remarked the bench of justice HS Sethi and justice Vikas Suri while holding Desh Bhagat University, Mandi Gobindgarh, and Aasra Foundations, the society running the university, liable to pay compensation to the former student. Sandeep Kaur, then 23 years old, was a final-year BSc student at the time of the incident. On October 11, 2013, she visited a toilet on the university campus with a friend. While her friend was inside a cubicle, she was sitting outside on the gatekeeper's chair. There, a storm suddenly broke and the toilet's wall collapsed, trapping Kaur under the debris and fracturing her spine. She was taken to the Mandi Gobindgarh civil hospital in a university bus and further referred to Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32, Chandigarh, before being shifted to Alchemist Hospital, Sector 21, Panchkula. As per her plea before the high court, the university authorities promised to meet all expenses. However, they deposited only Rs.2.25 lakh till October 18 and thereafter, did not foot any expense, medical or otherwise. She was ultimately diagnosed with 100% permanently disabled. The plea further alleged that a negligence FIR was registered, but the police authorities did not nail the actual culprits and only a university employee, Vishal Sharma, was roped in as accused, who was discharged by a trial court in April 2017. Consequently, she approached the high court, seeking Rs.1 crore as compensation and fixing of criminal liability. On its part, the university argued that it offered to pay Rs.5 lakh to the petitioner as full and final amount towards her claim, terming it "suitable". However, the petitioner did not agree. The university and the society also maintained that the liability to pay any compensation cannot be fastened upon them as the toilet wall did not fall due to any negligence on their part. The court, however, observed that the toilet was situated on the university campus itself and being property of the university, it was under the control and maintenance of the university authorities. Thus, the university authorities cannot escape their liability to compensate the appellant for the injuries. The court observed that university was not only a creature of statute but was performing a significant public function - imparting education. Hence, the maintenance of the campus and buildings was a duty of the university authorities, which was inextricably linked and essential to the effective discharge of its primary function of education, a public function, it added. While deciding the amount of compensation, the court observed that the petitioner was a meritorious student, having been admitted in the science stream, and had many opportunities available to her to pursue after graduating from the university. It also took note of the fact that the appellant was a young woman who "would naturally have dreams of settling in matrimony and having children of her own", which stood adversely impacted by the unfortunate incident. Recording that compensation would be paid on the principles applicable to motor accidents claims, the court directed the varsity and society to pay Rs.1.37 crore as compensation, along with annual interest at 7.5% from the date of filing of the petition till the realisation of the entire amount. A period of three months has been given to respondents to pay the amount....