Panchkula, Haryana:
It's a verdict that has led to public outrage. Former Haryana DGP SPS Rathore got just six months in jail and immediate bail for molesting 14-year-old Ruchika Girhotra, who later committed suicide. This after months of harrasment.
The story is from 19 years ago. Ruchika died 16 years ago. But her family is still afraid. ''I met Ruchika's brother and sister-in-law. The family is still very scared. They are so scared that they are not even sending their 11-year-old little girl to school fearing people will ask about the Ruchika case. They are scared of the Rathores' smiling faces outside the court,'' says Anand Prakash, father of Ruchika's friend Aradhana, who has fought a hard battle for justice.
While the victim's family lives in fear, SPS Rathore was photographed on Wednesday relaxed, soaking in the sun at home.
In 1990, Rathore, who lived near the tennis court where Aradhana and Ruchika played in Panchkula, had called them home. Nothing unusual as he was the president of Haryana Lawn Tennis Association.
Here he molested Ruchika. Aradhana, who he had sent on an errand, returned early and became an eyewitness.
''This man touched her and it was like unwillingly being touched so she felt humiliated. You know I have no words, no words,'' Aradhana Gupta said.
''Ruchika was a blooming flower. And after the incident I saw her shutting down. After witnessing this, I was always doubtful of elders around me. It haunted me. I couldn't imagine a physical relationship with any male. I could not let anyone come into my life for a long time,'' she added.
Aradhana is now a mother of two, living in Australia. For all these years that she has fought to bring Ruchika justice, her parents and husband have stood by her. They worried for her safety since her father was already being harassed by Rathore.
''My husband was also harassed at work. If the same verdict would have come in the first two years of the trial, Ruchika would be alive and would have had a family of her own,'' Aradhana's mother said.
After 19 years of a tough battle, the verdict: Rathore has got six months in prison.
In a lawn tennis ground, an evening's play turned into a traumatic life-changing experience. While Ruchika succumbed to the trauma, Aradhana continued to live it. Nineteen years of the trial, 400 appearances in court and all that has meant just six months of imprisonment for the culprit, who is already out on bail.
Aradhana's husband, Aman Gupta is baffled by this verdict. ''This conviction shows that if you are molested, you should stay molested, and that is better. The system is such that I don't want my daughter to be living in India,'' he said.