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Happy New Year Twenty-Ten
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*DIOCESE NEGLIGENT AND NOT PRINCIPAL***
*New Delhi, JANUARY 8, 2010:* In a statement announcing appeal not to
target Sr. Sebastian, principal of Ruchika’s school, two human rights
Christian organisations have urged the Punjab and Haryana High Court to
investigate the role of the Chandigarh Diocese, which runs the Sacred Heart
School, which maintained that no pressure was brought on the school to expel
Ruchika Girhotra after she complained of molestation by former Haryana
director general of police S P S Rathore.
The principal of the school is merely an ‘employee’ of the diocese and the
real authority lies in the hands of the bishop.’ The role of diocese of
Chandigarh should be investigated for negligence and decision’ the Poor
Christian Liberation Movement (PCLM) and Indian Christian Righteous Action
Forum (ICRA) urged in their joint statement.
JG Anthony, a spokesman for the Indian Christian for Righteous Action Forum
(ICRA) stated that, “Sadly, the history of this case has been about diocesan
decision for more than 19 years. Although many Catholic schools have been
accused of child neglect” he believes that Ruchika’s case is the first trial
in India in which the policies of a diocese have been put under scanner.
The Poor Christian Liberation Movement (PCLM) president RL Francis said” the
Chandigatrh Bishop should be held more responsible than Sr. Sebastian in
Ruchika’s expulsion case “
The Ruchika case could set a precedent for legal complains against Christian
dioceses throughout India, the statement concluded.
