‘Arbitrary,harsh,malafide… school acted under pressure’

Based on her examination of school guidelines,rules and instructions,bank records,and the statements of many people including Principal Sister S. Sebastina,the then Vice-Principal Sister Joselyne,Father Thomas Anchanikal,the Vicar-General and Spokesman of the Chandigarh-Shimla Diocese,Inquiry Officer SDM Prerna Puri has concluded that Sacred Heart acted in a biased manner to single out Ruchika Girhotra.

The following are extracts from the report of the Inquiry:

* Was the order of expulsion of late Ms Ruchika Girhotra from the school arbitrary,harsh and unjust?

Though the school fee rules provide that the name of student can be struck off the rolls on account of arrears of fees,but the same has never been done in the history of school,except in the case of Ruchika,which is the only sordid instance. This is,therefore,a case which clearly demonstrates beyond any manner of doubt that the school authorities acted in a malafide,biased,arbitrary,indiscriminate and unwarranted manner while expelling Ruchika.

* Were the school authorities under any external influence or pressure in taking the decision of striking off the name of Ruchika Girhotra from the school rolls?

It was alleged in the complaint that Ruchika was not allowed by the school to attend classes due to external pressure by S P S Rathore. Sister Sebastina’s statement that the decision of striking off the name of Ruchika from the school rolls was taken by her independently and that there was no pressure from any quarter that influenced her decision in this regard whatsoever cannot be believed in the face of telling circumstances of the case.

It is amply evident that the school indulged in the contemptuous act of expelling Ruchika and did not act independently or impartially but under acute pressure in invoking Rule 35 of the Pupil’s Code of Conduct since the same rule has never been applied to any of the 135 similar cases.

The overall attending circumstances of the case are such that an irresistible conclusion may be drawn that the school authorities acted under some outside compelling influence in the arbitrary decision of singling out Ruchika and selectively applying the rules pertaining to non payment of fees to her case.

* What was the procedure followed by the school authorities for expelling Ruchika from the school and whether any opportunity of hearing/show cause notice was given to Ruchika or her parents before her expulsion from the school? Was any penalty imposed on Ruchika for non-payment of fees?

There is nothing on record to show that any penalty was ever imposed on Ruchika on account of non-payment of fees. In fact,the question of imposition of a penalty would have arisen only had the school authorities accepted late payment of fees from her. To the contrary,instead of taking into account the larger academic and future interests of Ruchika Girhotra (like the school did in all the around 135 cases of other similarly placed students),it is evident that the school indulged in the selective application of the rules by singling out her case and expelled her from the school in an insensitive,unthoughtful,arbitrary and harsh manner.