A PIL was on Tuesday filed in the Punjab and Haryana High Court here seeking a probe into the molestation case, including the expulsion by a local school, and the subsequent harassment of her family.
Chairman of the NGO World Human Rights Council (WHRC) Ranjan Lakhanpal, a local advocate, sought a thorough probe into the molestation, circumstances leading to the suicide of the girl three years after the molestation by then IGP S P S Rathore in 1990.
A local convent school -- Sacred Heart School -- which had expelled her, even though she had studied for about 11 years, on flimsy ground of non-payment of fees, has also been made a party.
“When the minor was weeping, the school instead of giving her a shoulder to lessen her miseries and give her proper counselling, expelled her on flimsy ground of non-payment of school fees,” Lakhanpal said adding the PIL has been filed in the Registry of the High Court, which is presently closed for winter vacation.
In the PIL, Lakhanpal said the school was equally responsible for the circumstances which led the girl to commit suicide three years after her molestation.
The school had probably taken the action against the girl under pressure of Rathore whose daughter was also studying in the same class, he said.
Lakhanpal also demanded action against all those responsible for the delay in the investigation of the molestation and suicide cases, torture of the girl’s brother as also registration of false cases, expulsion of the minor girl from her school and mental harassment caused to the family of S C Girhotra, the father of the girl.
“We have also demanded that the High Court lay down guidelines for taking action in such cases so that victims do not suffer in future and the accused do not go scot free,” he said.
Lakhanpal also said he sought enhancement of the six month sentence to Rathore who was awarded the minimum sentence by a local CBI court for the offence of molestation of the minor girl.
