FIR quashed after six U.P. students pay ₹2 lakh for vandalising Meghalaya homestay

The High Court of Meghalaya directed some of the students to spend three days from September 8, at the Sikh Centre Sri Guru Singh Sabha in Shillong’s Lachumiere area from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Photo Credit: https://meghalayahighcourt.nic.in GUWAHATIThe High Court of Meghalaya quashed a First Information Report (FIR) against six students from Uttar Pradesh accused of vandalising a homestay in Shillong after they reached a settlement with the proprietor and paid ₹2.06 lakh for the damages.Chief Justice Revati Mohite Dere passed the order on Monday (September 7, 2026) quashing the FIR, registered at the Laitumkhrah police station on July 11, after the homestay proprietor and manager gave their no-objection following the settlement on August 17.The homestay manager filed the FIR after the six students allegedly damaged the property and threatened him when he did not allow additional guests to stay in a room.The students, including three minors aged between 15 and 17 years, were arrested in West Bengal on July 13, and later released on bail. One of the accused was 18 years old, while the remaining two were in their 20s and preparing for competitive examinations.According to the settlement, the students paid ₹2.06 lakh as full and final compensation to the homestay proprietor and tendered an unconditional apology for their conduct.The High Court considered the students’ future while quashing the FIR and directed two of them to pay an additional ₹25,000 each to the proprietor within a week. The duo was also asked to undertake six days of community service. The other four students were exempted from community service because of their age.The court directed the students to spend three days from Tuesday (September 8, 2026) at the Sikh Centre Sri Guru Singh Sabha in Shillong’s Lachumiere area from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.They were asked to spend the remaining three days working with Jiva Cares’ Project Operation Clean-Up, which undertakes cleanliness activities, including work related to the Umkhrah river, as well as maintaining flowers and bins across Shillong.The court sought a report confirming satisfactory completion of the community service to be submitted through the public prosecutor. Published - September 08, 2026 07:06 pm IST