Chandigarh:
Former Haryana DGP SPS Rathore, serving sentence for molesting a teenager, is finally free. Hours after his release order was signed, he walked out of Burail Jail on Friday evening.
The Supreme Court had, on Thursday, granted him bail. The court has, however, asked Rathore not to leave the country.
The court ordered the release of Rathore observing he had already spent six months in jail after his conviction for molesting Ruchika Girhotra in 1990 and that the CBI had closed two other cases against him.
Ruchika's family recently filed two other cases against Rathore, accusing him of doctoring her post-mortem report, and of torturing her brother who was arrested after her death. Yesterday, the CBI, assigned to investigate the case, said no evidence was found to support either of these claims. (
Watch: We opposed the bail application, says Aradhana's father)
In December 2009, he was found guilty of molesting 14-year-old Ruchika Girhotra. That verdict came nearly 20 years after Girhotra filed a formal complaint against him after he molested her in his office. Ruchika killed herself in 1993. (
Watch: Disappointed with CBI, says Ruchika's father)
Despite the complaint against him, Rathore enjoyed a series of promotions and retired as Harayana's senior-most policeman.
The Girhotras have also accused Rathore of abetment to suicide - they believe that Ruchika killed herself because Rathore relentlessly persecuted her family after she complained about him molesting her.(
Watch: The CBI never informed us anything, says Ruchika's father)