On December 15, The News Minute broke the story of two students expelled from St Thomas Central School in Thiruvananthapuram after a boy was found giving his friend a congratulatory hug during the Arts festival in the school. The matter was then taken to the Secretary of the School and the management decided to hack the private Instagram of the students to gather ‘evidence’ against the teenagers. The school calling the hug ‘indecent, scandalous and an undisciplined public display of affection’, asked the students not to attend classes from July 21st, 2017. 

The issue raked up huge controversy across the country on the shocking manner in which the school decided to handle the incident. Other media was quick enough to pick up the story and many debates were initiated.

Days after the expulsion of Rahul* and Gayatri*, the decision of the St Thomas Central School management to write a letter of recommendation to the CBSE authorities to allow the boy to write his board exams comes as a TNM impact.

Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor too had taken personal interest in the case and spoken to the school management. It was his intervention that made the school soften its stand.

The school’s principal, Sebastian T Joseph, speaking to TNM said, “We have no intention to spoil the child’s future. That never was the intention. We have written a recommendation letter to the CBSE authorities asking them to make the necessary arrangements to let the boy to write his board exams.”

When asked if the boy would be taken back by the school, Joseph said, “It is now the decision of the CBSE that matters. If the CBSE officials can sort out the boy’s attendance requirements, it goes without saying that the boy will be taken back and allowed to write the exam.”

He added, “We don’t have regular classes anymore. Students are now taking model exams and practical sessions are going on. Once we get a confirmation from the CBSE, we will let the boy take his exams.”

The school management has also written a letter to the boy, who is preparing from home hoping to take his board exams, and called for a meeting with the school management on January 3.

“We have written to the family in detail regarding the recent developments from the side of the school management and school officials will have a meeting with the family on January 3,” said Joseph.

The letter addressed to Rahul says that though the High Court has said that the Child Rights Commission lacks jurisdiction to interfere in the disciplinary proceedings of an educational institution, the school had decided to relook at the issue.

“The Hon’ble High Court of Kerala quashed the interim order of the Hon’ble Commission and also observed that the commission lacks jurisdiction to interfere with the disciplinary proceedings of an Educational Institution. But the Hon’ble High Court was also pleased to observe that considering your age and the fact that you are a XIIth std student, nothing is standing in the way of the school to reconsider the issue. It was also observed that the observation shall not be taken mistaken as any compulsion,” the letter read.

The letter also said, “Your co-operation is necessary for that. Hence you are requested to meet the principal, St. Thomas Central School with your parent on 03.01.2018 at 10:30 am, to discuss and find out a way to honour the judgment of the Hon’ble High Court of Kerala in W.P. (C). No. 32325/2107.”

Speaking to TNM, Rahul’s father said, “We are looking forward to the meeting with the school authorities on Jan 3 and we hope we have something positive to take back from the meeting.”

What happens to the girl student?

Meanwhile the school officials haven’t passed on any information regarding the Class 11 student Gayatri who was also expelled along with Rahul since July 21.

Principal Joseph told TNM, “The girl is officially not a student of St Thomas Central School. She has only studied for a few days in the school and hasn’t submitted her TC from the previous school. Meanwhile she also tried getting admission to another school.”

Meanwhile Gayatri clarified to TNM, “I haven’t submitted the TC to St Thomas as I was kept away soon after a month of joining the school.”

* Names changed to conceal identity