CHANDIGARH: A Sessions court
here will pronounce verdict on former Haryana DGP S P S Rathore's plea
challenging the six-month sentence awarded to him by a CBI court for molesting
teenager Ruchika Girhotra on May 20.
The CBI and relatives of budding tennis player Ruchika, who later committed
suicide, had also filed petitions before the court seeking enhancement of the
sentence for Rathore.
Additional District and Sessions Judge Gurbir Singh fixed May 20 for delivering
the judgement on all the three pleas after conclusion of arguments and
counter-arguments in the case, Ruchika's family counsel Pankaj Bhardwaj said on
Tuesday.
The court heard the arguments, which began on May 3, on a day-to-day basis, he
told reporters here.
The proceedings were held in-camera. The disgraced former top cop had sought
setting aside of the trial court verdict against him while the Ruchika family
and the CBI had sought maximum punishment of two years for 68-year-old Rathore.
The former DGP was sentenced to six-month imprisonment on December 21 last by
CBI Judge J S Sidhu for molesting 14-year-old Ruchika at Panchkula in Haryana on
August 12, 1990. Three years after she was molested, Ruchika committed suicide.
Ruchika's father S C Girhotra and Madhu Prakash, the mother of Aradhna, who was
the sole witness to the molestation incident, were present in the court. Arguing
before the court, the Ruchika's family counsel sought enhancement of sentence
for Rathore. "A total of 16 prosecution and 17 defence witnesses appeared before
the court," Bhardwaj said.
Rathore's counsel Abha, who is also the wife of the former DGP, concluded her
rebuttal arguments yesterday. On Saturday, the CBI had argued on the
presentation of evidence before the court.
Meanwhile, 29-year-old Utsav Sharma, who had inflicted knife injuries on Rathore
while he was coming out of a court on February eight and was granted bail,
appeared in a court here today. The court extended his bail till August 16 when
he is to appear in the case before it.
Courtesy: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/5917892.cms