Patna, Sep 4 (IANS): A Bihar court Wednesday rejected the bail plea of the principal of a school where 23 children died after eating contaminated food in July. Hedr husband's anticipatory bail plea also was dismissed.

A chief judicial magistrate in Saran district refused to give bail to school principal Meena Devi and dismissed the anticipatory bail plea of her husband Arjun Rai, and issued a non-bailable arrest warrant against him.

Police said Rai, accused of buying the pesticide which got mixed in the meal, has been missing and on the run since the mid-day meal tragedy July 16.

"After local police informed the court that there is evidence against Rai, the court issued non-bailable warrant against him," a district police official said.

Meena Devi, who was the head of the government primary school at Gandaman village, was arrested a week after the tragedy.

A first information report was registered against her on charges of murder and criminal conspiracy, police said.

A forensic lab report confirmed presence of toxic insecticide traces in the cooking oil used for making food at the school, police said. It claimed the lives of 23 students.