Justice without humanity can become punishment pretending to be principle.

Rules applied without regard for the person in front of you stop serving the purpose they were written for. The letter is followed, the outcome is cruel, and everyone involved can point at the procedure. That is punishment wearing the clothes of principle, and it is especially common in institutions, where following the rule protects the person applying it.

When you are enforcing something, ask what the rule exists to protect and whether this application actually protects it. If the answer is no, you are inflicting cost for its own sake. Say so, and take the discomfort of arguing for an exception rather than hiding behind the process.