No medals for molesters: Is KPS Gill worried?

New Delhi: The Home Ministry's decision to take back the medals of convicted police officers has raised the question: Whether former super cop, KPS Gill, will also lose his medal?

Gill was found guilty of molesting IAS officer Rupen Deol Bajaj in 1998, but got away with just a fine. He, however, spoke to NDTV a short while ago and attacked the Home Ministry's decision.

"I think the government's desire to take away the medals which are given for the work done much earlier, is a punishment which is retrospective and that is against the law of the land," Gill said.

He also said that Centre's decision on medals won't affect him as his sentence was kept in abeyance.

According to the Home Ministry, the order on stripping medals applies in case of moral turpitude. Also, Gill's conviction was kept in abeyance and the court itself put him in probation and the sentence was kept in abeyance.

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So, Gill's case is not being considered by Home Ministry as of now; it is not a priority.

Meanwhile, Rupen Deol Bajaj has said this isn't enough. She says Gill's Padmashri Award should also be taken away.

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"I think he should be treated the same way as other officers are being treated. It was a case of moral turpitude. It has come on record in the trial court that he was in the habit of misbehaving with women and all the false rumours that he put out about me have been put to rest buy the Supreme Court. He was convicted in 1995 and was given a punishment for three months of rigorous imprisonment plus fine and if he did not pay that fine he was to undergo one month more imprisonment. Unfortunately, the punishment was whittled down by every court," Bajaj said.

Reacting on the Ruchika case, she said: "I think Ruchika wouldn't have been molested had KPS Gill not been given Padmashri. Reason being, he knew that an IAS officer or a top cop can get away with anything."

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Gill didn't respond to Bajaj's comments.

Though an IAS officer of the Punjab cadre, Bajaj said it wasn't easy for her either to fight for justice, pointing out that Gill was held guilty for molestation, but never went to jail.

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Bajaj had accused Gill of slapping her posterior at a party in 1988. She said Gill was drunk. After eight years of a legal battle, Gill was convicted by a court in 1996 for "outraging the modesty" of Rupen Deol Bajaj. He was sentenced to five months' imprisonment. After more legal battle, the Supreme Court scaled the punishment down to probation and a fine in 2005.