The St Thomas Central School in Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala, which had expelled two students for hugging each other on campus, has decided to enroll them back, The News Minute reported. The school changed its decision after a meeting with Congress MP Shashi Tharoor and is likely to issue a notice on readmitting the students by January 3.
Tharoor on Friday met Rajan Varghese, the secretary of the Mar Thoma Church Educational Society that runs the school, and Principal Sebastian T Joseph, The Hindu reported. The Congress leader then spoke to the students and their families, before meeting everyone together.
“I applaud all involved for having approached the issue in a constructive spirit,” Tharoor later tweeted. “This has to be win-win: the school must win back its reputation and the kids their academic careers.”
The school had earlier said it might reconsider its expulsion order against the boy, who studies in Class 12. He had hugged the girl, a student of Class 11, in front of other students during an arts festival on August 21. The two later apologised to the vice principal. The school suspended the students after their photographs appeared on Instagram.
On December 17, the Kerala High Court upheld the institute’s decision to suspend the students for the hug. In its order, Justice Shaji P Chaly said: “I find that various photographs were posted on Instagram in various compromising positions, and if it had the effect of publicity, the issue hampers the reputation of the school.”
The court also dismissed the boy’s contention that his Instagram account was private, and that the school authorities had hacked into it, which was illegal.
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