PIL filed against Ruchika’s school

A senior advocate from Punjab and Haryana HC filed a public interest litigation against Ruchika Girhotra's school for expelling her.

A public interest litigation (PIL) has been filed against the Chandigarh based Sacred Heart School,where Ruchika Girhotra studied. The school had allegedly expelled her under pressure from former Haryana Director General of Police (DGP) SPS Rathore,the man who molested her.

“We are seeking action against the school also as to why she was expelled,what were the reasons,and under whose pressure it was done,” Ranjan Lakhanpal – a senior advocate from Punjab and Haryana High Court – who filed the PIL,said.

Ruchika Girhotra was a student of Class 10,when former Haryana DGP Rathore allegedly molested her in 1990. Rathore was then Inspector General of Police and the head of the Haryana Lawn Tennis Federation.

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The school had claimed that Ruchika was removed on grounds of not paying the school fees in time,but her family was not convinced.

Ruchika’s father,S C Rathore said: “Rathore used his influence. One day the Principal called me and told that we are removing her from the school. Don’t send her to school any more.”

Teenager Ruchika,a promising young tennis star had killed herself three years after the incident by drinking poison.

Geetanjali Giyatri,Ruchika’s classmate and a former student of Sacred Heart said,”We had heard that she was going abroad and we thought she had gone abroad after the incident,that”s why she was not showing up. We had also heard that she had left school,that’s it.”

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The school is tight lipped on the whole issue and is least interested in talking about reasons for expelling Ruchika.

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