Chandigarh, Jan. 7: Ruchika Girhotra had been singled out for expulsion by her school although scores of other students had defaulted on fee payment, the Chandigarh administration said today after a magisterial probe.
This “clearly demonstrates… that the school authorities acted in a mala fide, biased, arbitrary, indiscriminate and unwarranted manner” while expelling Ruchika, the probe by sub-divisional magistrate Prerna Puri says.
“The school fee record (between 1987 and 2002) of the Sacred Heart Convent School shows that about 135 students have similarly defaulted in timely payment of school fees against whom no action has ever been taken by the school authorities,” the 45-page probe report says.
It adds that in the same academic year (1990-91) that Ruchika was expelled, 17 other students had defaulted on fees — including, ironically, Priyanjali Rathore, the daughter of Ruchika’s molester and former Haryana police chief S.P.S. Rathore.
Ruchika’s family has alleged that the school victimised Ruchika, then 14, under pressure from Rathore after the girl had accused the officer of molesting her.
Chandigarh home secretary Ram Niwas, to whom the report has been submitted, said: “We have withdrawn the state award to school principal Sister Sebastina for outstanding contribution to education, and are sending the report to the Central Board of Secondary Education (for action against the school).”
He said Sister Sebastina was the school principal then as she is now. Niwas added: “A copy is also being sent to the school management for action against the principal and to Panchkula superintendent of police Maneesh Chaudhary. The probe report has even sent a questionnaire for Rathore.”
The report says that though there is no direct evidence of Rathore pressuring the school, there is “strong circumstantial evidence… as the expulsion comes shortly after her molestation”.
Ruchika had failed to pay her fees from April to September in 1990, when she was a Class IX student. She committed suicide three years later, apparently unable to bear the alleged police harassment of her family at Rathore’s behest.
Earlier, a Panchkula court reserved its decision till tomorrow on Rathore’s bail plea relating to FIRs alleging he engineered the tampering of Ruchika’s inquest report and the illegal confinement of her brother Ashu, as well as an attempt to murder the youth.Rathore’s wife and lawyer Abha alleged the FIRs had been lodged under “media pressure”.
She said the role of a certain Veena whom the Girhotras describe as their former housekeeper should be investigated. Ruchika’s inquest report has a Veena signing with the Girhotra surname.
Bhardwaj demanded immediate arrest and interrogation of Rathore and four other co-accused, including the then Ambala superintendent of police, K.P. Singh.
