HGP Nightly News – The Government is denying legal responsibility for the deaths and injuries resulting from the 2023 Mahdia Secondary School female dormitory fire, arguing that the State was not negligent and did not violate the constitutional rights of the victims.
The position is outlined in a 12-page Defence filed in the High Court of Guyana on August 31, 2026, on behalf of Attorney General Anil Nandlall, SC.
The State is asking the court to dismiss the civil claim brought by the estates of the young victims, describing the lawsuit as “specious” and “misconceived in law.”
In its Defence, the State rejects allegations of negligence, constitutional violations and other wrongdoing by its servants or agents, and accepts no liability for the fire or the resulting deaths, injuries or losses.
The Government maintains that the relevant duty of care owed to the students was observed, including the provision of emergency escape procedures and regular fire-drill training.
The Defence also relies on findings from the Guyana Police Force, which reportedly concluded that the fire was deliberately started by a student housed in the dormitory following the confiscation of her cellular phone.
The State further highlighted the emergency response following the fire, noting that school staff, members of the public and firefighters rescued 28 people from the burning building.
Government officials also arranged air evacuations and medical assistance for injured students.The Government also pointed to financial assistance provided to affected families, including an offer of GY$5 million for each deceased student.
According to the Defence, all but two of the victims’ families have accepted the financial assistance and signed agreements concerning the payments.
The Mahdia dormitory fire on May 21, 2023, claimed the lives of 20 people, most of them children, and remains one of the country’s most devastating recent tragedies.
The State’s Defence now places the question of legal responsibility before the High Court, as the families’ civil claims proceed through the judicial process.
