By IANS,
Chandigarh : A Haryana court Friday gave interim relief to disgraced former police chief S.P.S. Rathore and allowed him bail till Jan 7 if he is arrested for the two fresh cases registered against him in connection with the 1990 Ruchika molestation case.
The district and sessions court in Panchkula near here said Rathore would be allowed to avail interim bail on furnishing bail bonds of Rs.100,000 in each of the two cases if he is arrested by the Haryana police before Jan 7.
The Haryana government has been asked to submit its reply to the court by Jan 6 for the next hearing of Rathore’s anticipatory bail plea to be held Jan 7.
The court also asked Rathore to submit himself for interrogation if police officials wanted to ask him something. He has been asked not to leave the country. Some other conditions have also been imposed on him.
“The (interim) bail to Rathore is very disappointing. This shows that our legal system is lax and people like him (Rathore) can get away. We are going through a period of hope and doubt,” Ruchika’s friend Aradhana, whose family fought the molestation case against Rathore for 19 years, said after the court’s order Friday afternoon.
Pankaj Bhardwaj, lawyer for the Girhotra family, said Rathore’s counsel and wife Abha Rathore had misrepresented facts in the court Friday.
“He (Rathore) has got interim relief. Whether it is big or small will be seen. Now he cannot be arrested till Jan 7,” the lawyer said.
Abha Rathore submitted before the court that Ruchika did not commit suicide because of the molestation case but due to pressure from her stepmother, Veena Girhotra.
“There was a total misrepresentation of facts before the court. There was no stepmother of Ruchika. During the inquest proceedings (in Dec 1993), the police came out with this character (Veena Girhotra). There is no such person. By Jan 7, we will submit all documents that will show the truth. We will oppose the bail,” Bhardwaj said.
Bhardwaj questioned the role of the Panchkula police in not arresting Rathore for three days after registering two cases, including non-bailable sections like attempt to murder, against him.
“I don’t know why the police did not arrest him,” he added.
Ruchika’s brother Ashu, who emerged out of shadows after 16 years Thursday, had filed a complaint with the Panchkula police seeking another case for abetment of suicide (of his sister) against on Rathore.
The police have not registered a case in this matter.
Ruchika, a budding tennis player, was molested by Rathore here Aug 12, 1990. She committed suicide three years later, unable to cope with the harassment of her family and torture of her brother by the Haryana police, which slapped false car theft cases against him.
Rathore was Dec 21 convicted by a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) special court in Chandigarh. He was sentenced to six months’ rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs 1,000.
On Tuesday, he was booked by Panchkula police in two fresh cases, including the non-bailable charge of attempt to murder, after Ruchika’s family filed fresh complaints.