Rathore: No Relief Again, Case Deferred Till June 2
Jun 01, 2010
Disgraced former Haryana DGP SPS Rathore, sentenced to 18-month prison term
by a court here in the Ruchika Girhotra molestation case, will have to spend
another night in jail with hearing on his bail plea being deferred till
tomorrow.
Declining to give any immediate relief, the Punjab and Haryana High Court
vacation bench of Justice Ajay Tewari posted the matter for tomorrow after it
was told to him that advocate of Ruchika's family Pankaj Bhardwaj was
indisposed.
68-year-old Rathore has been in the high security Burail jail for the last one
week after a sessions court on May 25 enhanced his jail term from six months to
one-and-a-half years while allowing the plea of CBI and the Girhotra family.
Rathore's lawyer wife Abha Rathore had filed the review petition in the High
Court on May 26 seeking bail.
On May 28, High Court Judge, Justice Gurdev Singh had posted the matter for May
31 on the plea of the CBI counsel that the investigating agency had not received
copy of the review petition.
In her petition, Abha had alleged that the appellate court had on May 25 passed
the order "under media pressure".
Yesterday, CBI had strongly opposed Rathore's bail plea before the High Court,
submitting that he must undergo "some part of marginal sentence" awarded to him.
14-year-old Ruchika, a budding tennis player, had committed suicide three years
after being molested by Rathore on August 12, 1990.
During the hearing today, CBI accused Rathore of trying to distort the facts.
In its 14-page reply on the revision petition of Abha, the CBI said Rathore was
trying to distort the prosecution case regarding the visit of Aradhana, prime
witness in the case who was with Ruchika when she went to the Haryana Lawn
Tennis Association office at Panchkula on August 12, 1990, the day the DGP
molested Ruchika.
"Their (Aradhana and Ruchika) visit stands already proved through Aradhana's
deposition," the CBI told the court in its detailed reply.
The prosecuting agency held that "Aradhana has personally seen molestation of
Ruchika at the hands of the convict."
CBI said Rathore had "intentionally and deliberately" planned to molest Ruchika.
It rejected Abha's contention that Rathore was a victim of media trial, saying
it was "false, unjustified and baseless" as lower courts did not allow media
during the hearing of matter.
Courtesy: http://news.outlookindia.com/item.aspx?683907