Court reserves judgment on Rathore's bail plea

A court in Panchkula on Thursday reserved till Friday an order on the anticipatory bail plea filed by disgraced former Haryana director general of police SPS Rathore, in connection with the two fresh FIRs files by the state police, in the Ruchika Girhotra molestation case.

Rathore, who molested 14-year-old Ruchika in 1990, was granted anticipatory bail by the sessions court in Panchkula on January 1.

Ruchika had committed suicide a few years after the incident, following the arrest of her brother on false charges and continuous harassment by the police.

Rathore is facing arrest after Ruchika's father Subhash Chander Girhotra and her brother Ashu filed new FIRs against him, regarding alleged tampering of the post-mortem report by the police and harassment of Ashu, including an attempt to murder him.

The order was reserved by Additional District and Sessions Judge Sanjiv Jindal after hearing the arguments of Pankaj Bhardwaj, the counsel for the Subash Girhotra family, and Abha, Rathore's wife and daughter.

The fresh charges against Rathore include attempt to murder, wrongful confinement and forging of the post-mortem report of the victim. Arguing before the court, Abha submitted that "Rathore is being targeted due to the media hype" in connection with the case.

 "Media is describing Rathore as a molester, a monster and an animal. Media is pronouncing its own judgment, holding him guilty, and it appears that the media has taken over the justice system," Rathore's wife told the court.

She sought her husband's anticipatory bail in the new cases registered on December 29, saying the issue of Section 306 under the Indian Penal Code (abetment to suicide) against him had already been settled by the Supreme Court.

"Even the government seems to be buckling under the media pressure," Abha alleged and sought protection for Rathore.

Bhardwaj submitted in the court that Rathore should be arrested and thoroughly interrogated while in custody.

"Here is a case where the man has masterminded everything. It is not possible to call him over for a cup of tea and discuss the matter. He has to be thoroughly interrogated. It is a case of criminal conspiracy. To unearth that, Rathore's custodial interrogation is of utmost importance," he said.

Bhardwaj said that the statement of Ruchika's brother was never examined despite Ashi being a crucial link in the entire case. Arguments were also put forward in the court by the public prosecutor representing the state and the counsel for Rathore's co-accused Assistant Superintendent of Police Sewa Singh.

During the hearing, Abha submitted that the statements being made in the media by Ruchika's father Subhash Girhotra and others were "without the backing of any evidence".

She said that Rathore has already submitted to the authorities that he had no objection in joining the investigation.

"I am saying that the false allegations and the stories, which they (Girhotra and others) are cooking up, should be exposed," she added.

Abha said Girhotra was involved in corruption cases while Anand Parkash, the husband of the main complaint Madhu Parkash, (who are the parents of Aradhna -- the sole witness to the molestation) was prematurely retired from service following corruption charges.

She said the authorities had not investigate the existence of a woman named Veena, who, she claimed, was the second wife of Girhotra. "This aspect of the Ruchika case was not probed by the CBI," she said.