Ruchika case: Rathore seeks pre-arrest bail

By IANS,

Panchkula (Haryana) : Disgraced former Haryana director general of police (DGP) S.P.S. Rathore Wednesday sought pre-arrest bail here, following the registration of two fresh cases against him for molesting teenager Ruchika Girhotra and then allegedly hounding her till she killed herself.

Rathore's petition is being heard by District and Sessions Judge S.P. Singh.

Carrying a file in his hands, Rathore reached the Panchkula court flanked by his wife, who is also his lawyer. The two fresh FIRs (First Information Report) registered against him include charges for attempt to murder and wrongful confinement.

In contrast to his smiling face Dec 21 when he was convicted for molesting Ruchika, Rathore Wednesday kept a straight face and avoided answering the barrage of questions thrown at him and his wife by waiting reporters.

In first appearance since the public outcry over the quantum of sentence for molesting Ruchika, the former Haryana director general of police wore an olive green jacket over a sky blue shirt and a navy blue tie.

The government has now ordered a fresh probe into the molestation case and may also charge Rathore with abetment to suicide. Ruchika, a budding tennis player, killed herself three years after the molestation incident, as Rathore allegedly kept hounding her and her family, including the slapping of false criminal cases against her brother.

Rathore's six-month jail sentence for molestation and the Rs.1,000 fine came 19 years after the incident.