A magisterial probe indicted Sacred Heart School in Chandigarh for taking "wrong and malafide" action in expelling young Ruchika soon after she complained of molestation by the former Haryana director general of police.
The finding is expected have a bearing on fresh investigations against S P S Rathore, who was earlier sentenced to a mere six months for molesting Ruchika.
Though there is no direct evidence available of pressure from Rathore, but "strong circumstantial evidence is available as the expulsion comes shortly after her molestation" the probe report said.
"Some factors other than payment of fees contributed to the expulsion of Ruchika(Girhotra)," it said and added that she had been "singled out".
Releasing the findings of the inquiry conducted by Sub Divisional Magistrate Prerna Puri, Education-cum-Home Secretary Ram Niwas told journalists that "there was external influence in action against Ruchika" in her expulsion due to non-payment of fees for the April to September 1990 period when the 14-year-old girl was a student of Class IX.
Sixty-seven-year-old Rathore has been slapped with abetment to suicide charge by the police among other offences in the fresh first information reports registered recently. Ruchika committed suicide three years after she was molested in 1990.
"Though there were 135 other similar cases of default of payment of school fees from 1987 to 2002 -- the period for which the school record was examined -- but action has been taken only against Ruchika. She has been singled out," Niwas said.
"There was an external influence in the action against Ruchika."
The action of the school is "selective, wrong, arbitrary and malafide", the report stated.
Niwas said Rathore's daughter Priyanjali had also defaulted twice in paying fees in 1990-91, but she was not expelled.
There were 17 other cases of non-payment of fees during the year, but none was expelled from the school, he said.
He said action was being taken in four segments in the matter, with the foremost being sending the report to the management of the convent school for taking action against school principal Sister Sebastina who acted in an "arbitrary and wrong manner".
Sister Sebastina was the principal then and now also, he said, adding that the administration expects the school to take action immediately against her.
He said the Chandigarh administration has also decided to withdraw its honour given to Sister Sebastina for her outstanding contribution in the field of education. The award was given to her in 2005.
"A copy of the inquiry report would be sent to the Central Board of Secondary Education for taking appropriate action against the Sacred Heart School," he said, adding that a copy would also be sent to the superintendent of police of Panchkula in Haryana for taking "necessary action" in the matter.
The administration has also proposed to set up a mechanism so that such type of arbitrary actions are not taken by any school, Niwas said.
Niwas released the findings of the report after its acceptance by the Chandigarh Administrator S F Rodrigues, who is also governor of Punjab.
