No bail for Rathore, Ruchika’s father meets Chidambaram (Roundup)

CHANDIGARH/NEW DELHI - Former Haryana director general of police S.P.S. Rathore, convicted of molesting teenager Ruchika Girhotra 19 years ago and now facing fresh charges, was Wednesday refused interim bail by a court.

District and sessions judge S.P. Singh said the anticipatory bail application moved by Rathore will be taken up on the next hearing of the case Jan 1.

He asked Rathore’s counsel to submit all documents in the court on the next hearing.

Facing imminent arrest, Rathore Wednesday sought anticipatory bail in Panchkula court, following the registration of two fresh cases against him for molesting Ruchika and then allegedly hounding her and her family till she killed herself.

Ruchika’s father S.C. Girhotra said after meeting union Home Minister P. Chidambaram in New Delhi that he was hopeful of getting justice following fresh charges against Rathore.

Describing his meeting with Chidambaram at the latter’s office here as “satisfactory”, Girhotra told reporters: “I am satisfied with the meeting. He (Chidambaram) gave me a patient hearing.”

The meeting came a day after the government decided to act afresh against Rathore, who was convicted of molesting 15-year-old Ruchika in 1990.

The victim’s family says he should be charged with abetment to suicide.

In Chandigarh, Haryana police Wednesday announced the setting up of a special investigation team (SIT) to investigate two fresh first information reports (FIRs) registered against the disgraced former state police chief.

Haryana’s Director General of Police (DGP) R.S. Dalal has constituted the SIT to probe charges, including non-bailable ones like attempt to murder, against Rathore, who headed the state’s police force from October 1999 to December 2000.

A Haryana police spokesman said that the SIT will be headed by Inspector General of Police S.S. Kapoor and include Panchkula district police chief Maneesh Chaudhary and five other officers.

Rathore was Tuesday evening booked by police in two cases of serious and non-bailable criminal charges like attempt to murder, criminal intimidation, forging evidence, wrongful confinement, fabricating false evidence and criminal conspiracy.

Abha Rathore, the wife and counsel of Rathore, told the court Wednesday that the fresh cases registered against him were old accusations.

She claimed that in the last 19 years, Ashu, Ruchika’s brother, had never made the accusation that Rathore had attempted to murder him.

She added that Rathore was in different departments of the police and not connected with cases against Ashu.

She added that the same old charges, which were concluded already by various courts, were being raked up and the fresh FIRs were registered.

Seeking protection for Rathore from imminent arrest, Abha said that the new FIRs were registered due to media pressure and to humiliate Rathore.

Meanwhile, the Chandigarh administration Wednesday began a magisterial probe into the reasons behind the Sacred Heart School here expelling Ruchika in September 1990.

“Sub-Divisional Magistrate Prerna Puri was in the school today (Wednesday) to conduct an inquiry into this matter. The school authorities cooperated with her and we are ready to extend any kind of help to the administration,” said Father Thomas, spokesperson of Sacred Heart School in Sector 26 here.

“It is all very unfortunate what happened to Ruchika. We believe that it is not possible to expel any student under any kind of pressure. We are trying to ascertain the allegations of expulsion and also whether she (Ruchika) was withdrawn from the school by her parents,” he added.

Ruchika was expelled just a month after she was molested by Rathore Aug 12, 1990.

After Ruchika, 15, a budding tennis player, and her friends complained to the Haryana government, Rathore allegedly harassed her brother and family, using his position as a senior police officer.

Ruchika, unable to cope with the harassment of her family, committed suicide three years later by consuming poison.

Rathore’s six-month jail sentence for molestation and the Rs.1,000 fine came 19 years after the incident.