Chandigarh, Dec 29 - The Chandigarh administration has initiated a magisterial inquiry into the role of a leading all girls school Sacred Heart here for expelling teenage molestation victim Ruchika Girhotra in September 1990.

Ruchika was expelled from the school for unexplained reasons just a month after she was molested by former Haryana Director General of Police (DGP) S. P. S. Rathore Aug 12, 1990.

Chandigarh Home Secretary Ram Niwas, who is also the education secretary, has said that an inquiry will be conducted to probe the role of the school management in the expulsion.

"I had got the fax message from Madhu Prakash (complainant in the case) yesterday, demanding a fair probe against the school. Therefore I have marked this probe to sub-divisional magistrate (south) and told her to submit the inquiry report to me within seven days," Niwas told IANS Tuesday.

He added: "The probe will go into all aspects of this issue and will seek answers from the school about why they expelled Ruchika."

So far the management of the school, in Sector 26 of this city, has been silent on the expulsion of Ruchika, who was a class 10 student at that time.

At one stage the school had cited non-payment of monthly fees as a reason behind this expulsion. Rathore had used this expulsion to counter the chargesheet against him by claiming that Ruchika had been expelled on moral grounds.

A special CBI court in Chandigarh had held Rathore guilty Dec 21 of molesting Ruchika in Panchkula town Aug 12, 1990 and sentenced him to a six-month prison term. However, Rathore was immediately released on bail.

Ruchika, a budding tennis player, committed suicide three years after the incident.

A senior lawyer and a human rights activist Ranjan Lakhanpal is going to file a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) Tuesday in the Punjab and Haryana High Court, demanding strict action against the school for expelling Ruchika.  (IANS)