New Delhi, July 27
In a setback to Indian Hockey Federation chief K. P. S. Gill—the super cop instrumental in wiping out terrorism in Punjab—the Supreme Court today upheld his conviction for outraging the modesty of woman IAS officer Rupan Deol Bajaj in 1988 but rejected her plea for imposing jail term on him.

Drawing the curtains over the 17-year-old case that created a sensation involving two powerful arms of bureaucracy, a Bench comprising Justice KG Balakrishnan and Justice BN Srikrishna dismissed Gill's appeal challenging a Punjab and Haryana High Court verdict holding him guilty of the charges levelled by Deol.

The High Court on August 20, 1998 had upheld Gill's conviction under Section 354 (outraging the modesty of a woman) and Section 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult a lady) for his action against Deol during a party hosted on July 18, 1988 at the Chandigarh residence of then Punjab Financial Commissioner (Home) SL Kapoor.

The High Court, while maintaining the concurrent findings of the trial Court and Sessions Court on conviction, had asked Gill to execute a bond to maintain peace and good behaviour till January 5, 1999. It had also upheld the Sessions Court's order directing Gill to pay Rs 2 lakh compensation to Bajaj.

Gill had deposited the money in the High Court Registry but Bajaj had refused to take the money saying it should go to an organisation working for the upliftment of women.