Panchkula:
SPS Rathore, convicted of molesting 14-year-old Ruchika Girhotra, won't be arrested just yet. A court has given the former Haryana Director General of Police interim bail till January 7, when the court will decide on Rathore's plea for anticipatory bail.
This means that if Rathore is arrested before that date he can get bail by providing 2 sureties of Rs 1 lakh each. The Panchkula Sessions court also issued a notice to the State to reply in the matter by January 6. The interim bail has been granted in the two new FIRs filed by the Girhotra family earlier this week.
However, if the fresh complaint filed by Ruchika's brother Ashu Girhotra on Thursday is registered as an FIR by Panchkula police, then there could be fresh trouble for Rathore. Ashu has filed a complaint of abetment to suicide against Rathore. His complaint details the third degree torture he was allegedly subjected to that led to Ruchika committing suicide in 1990, three years after Rathore molested her. Ashu has alleged in his complaint that Rathore personally supervised the torture. (
Read: Ruchika believed justice will prevail: Ashu)
The CBI has also said it will file an appeal for enhancement of punishment for Rathore. (
Read: Will Rathore be tried for abetment of suicide?)
What Rathore has so far been convicted of is molesting the teenager. For that, he was sentenced earlier this month to six months in prison. The abetment to suicide charge, if proven, can land SPS Rathore in jail for 10 years.
Ruchika's friend Aradhna, who has fought for justice over almost two decades, expressed disappointment at Rathore being granted interim bail and said the system was lax. (
Watch: Aradhana: Going between hope and doubt)
But there were words of comfort for her from senior lawyer Majid Memon who told NDTV this was in no way a setback to the case. He said it was just procedural and that Rathore was not likely to get anticipatory bail. (
Watch: Sr Lawyer Majid Memon: No setback to case)
The Girhotras' lawyer Pankaj Bharadwaj was not too perturbed either and said: "We are hopeful on the next date we'll expose the truth." He said all charges made by Abha Rathore were false and that the Rathores had got Ruchika's inquest report fudged. (
Watch: Ruchika's family lawyer: Will oppose bail)
On Friday morning, Rathore's bail plea hearing resumed at the Panchkula sessions court at around 9:30 am. Arguing for anticipatory bail, Abha Rathore, the former cop's wife and lawyer said, "School did not expel Ruchika because of us. Let any inquiry be initiated, we will come out clean."
"In the recent FIR, there was no case made out on Sec 307, which is Attempt to Murder, as there was no complaint at that time by Ruchika's brother and no medical examination," she said.
Now after all these years, the Girhotras were and misleading the media, she alleged.
In her argument before court Abha Rathore also alleged that Ruchika's father Subhash Girhotra had remarried, suggesting that this led to Ruchika committing suicide.
The Girhotras' lawyer Pankaj Bharadwaj, however, said this was baseless. "There is no such lady as Veena Girhotra. We will be presenting each and every document in the next stage and they will know they don't stand anywhere...We will show in the next hearing that Mrs Rathore has misled the court. One of the grounds taken by them is that Mr Girhotra had married Veena Girhotra...that was just a suggestion...," he said.
Aradhna and her father Anand Prakash, who have waged a long battle for justice, too denied that Subhash Girhotra had ever remarried.