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More trouble for Rathore New Delhi, December 31 According to CBI spokesperson Harsh Bhal, the country’s premier investigation agency has reached the conclusion after consultation with the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Law Ministry in the past two days. “It was felt that a six-month imprisonment and a fine of Rs 1, 000 is inadequate, especially when the CJM, Chandigarh, in its judgment, concluded that the offence has been proved up to hilt. After consulting the two ministries, it has been decided to file an appeal in the competent court for enhancement of Rathore’s sentence,” said Bhal. The maximum sentence provided for molestation is two years' imprisonment and a fine. Regarding imposition of Section 306 of the IPC (abetment of suicide) in Ruchika’s case, Bhal said their legal experts are examining the issue to suggest further course of action. “The advice of the Solicitor General of India will also be taken before finalising the view of the CBI on this issue,” he added. Meanwhile, speaking for the first time on the Ruchika molestation and suicide episode, Union Home Minister P Chidambaram today said he was unhappy on the way the charges were framed and the trial was conducted in the case. While replying to a question at a press conference, Chidambaram said: “I am unhappy with the way the charges were framed, the trial was conducted and the way the accused has been punished. I am unhappy.” The family of the girl and their lawyer had met the Home Minister
yesterday. Ruchika couldn’t see my misery so she ended her life: Brother
Panchkula, December 31 This is the third complaint filed by the family in the past three days. Rathore was booked for attempt to murder, forging documents, illegal confinement and many other offences on complaints filed by Ashu and his father, Subhash Girhotra. Ashu, who came in the open for the first time since Rathore was convicted by a CBI court on December 21, also sought action against the then Ambala SP KP Singh, ASI Jai Narayan, SI Prem Dutt, and ASI Sewa Singh under Sections 306/107/108 and 120 B of the CrPC. (Panchkula was part of the Ambala police district at that time). Ashu reached the SP’s office in the evening accompanied by his wife, father and family’s counsel, Pankaj Bhardwaj, and briefed the media about the torture he was subjected to allegedly at Rathore’s behest. “I was beaten mercilessly in the presence of Rathore in various police stations. Ruchika could not see the brutality meted out to me and was forced to end her life,” said Ashu. In his complaint, Ashu stated that on October 25, 1993, he was picked up by the police and was taken to different police stations, including the building of the CIA staff. There he was subjected to a third-degree torture in Rathore’s presence. “I fell unconscious and only got up in the morning. In the evening, Rathore again came and I was again badly beaten up,” he added. “After some days, I was brought out of the police post and was paraded half-naked with handcuffs on in the lane I stayed. Police officials asked everyone to see me. My father and my sister were abused and they were asked to come out. I could not see my sister, but I could hear her cries as my father had stopped her from coming out,” said Ashu, adding that after some days he came to know that my sister had died.SP Panchkula Maneesh Chaudhary said they would take action on the complaint after seeking legal opinion. Meanwhile, copies of the FIRs lodged by the Haryana police against former DGP SPS Rathore in the Ruchika case were today submitted in court by his lawyer-wife Abha. She submitted the copies of the two FIRs (Nos. 573 and 574) registered by Panchkula police against Rathore on Tuesday night following fresh complaints by Ruchika’s father and brother. Submitting the copies, Abha, who appeared for her husband in court yesterday to argue his anticipatory bail plea, told District Judge SP Singh that on the charge of harassment, the Haryana government had earlier given a clean chit to the former DGP. Abha was asked by the judge to submit a copy of the apex court order tomorrow when the case will come up for further hearing. Apprehending Rathore’s arrest, Abha pleaded for interim bail, but the judge said the matter would be taken up tomorrow as it is already listed and she could submit other documents in support of her arguments. No faith in SIT, says Prakash
A day after the Haryana government formed the special investigating team for probe in the Ruchika molestation case, the family of complainant Anand Prakash has refused to cooperate with the SIT stating that he believes that there could be no fair probe in the case till Rathore was not arrested. Prakash believed that as Rathore had been the top cop in the state, it would not be an easy thing for people who were far junior to him in the force to speak against him. Moreover, the probe should have been handed over to a retired judge of the Supreme Court, he said. Replying over the allegagations levelled by Abha Rahtore against him for using the media to malign her husband SPS Rathore, Prakash said he was ready to be hanged in the case even a single word uttered by him was proved wrong. Bihar connection to Ruchika case Patna, December 31 Ranjan, a 1984-batch officer, is presently posted as the IG (Headquarters) here. Ruchika’s family has charged the CBI with not handling the case seriously. They alleged that the chargesheet filed by the CBI against the accused, SPS Rathore, a former top cop of Haryana, did not have any substantial evidence on record against him resulting into lesser punishment for the accused by the court. The charge against the investigating officer of the case is that he did not bother to record the statement of deceased’s brother, Ashu, despite repeated pleas. The supervising officer allegedly also did not pay any heed to the repeated request from the family to record the statement of Ashu, who had been ‘continuously harassed and tortured by the Haryana police at the behest of Rathore,’ who was an IG-rank officer at that time. The family had been repeatedly accusing Rathore with abetment of Ruchika’s suicide but the CBI officials, including the SP, allegedly did not take any cognisance of it. Subsequently, the family made a written request to the CBI for transferring the case out of Delhi branch alleging that Rathore was constantly harassing them and misusing the state police to exert pressure on them to withdraw the case. But the CBI again did not pay any heed to the request, claim sources close to the Girhotra family. When asked, Rajesh Ranjan admitted to having supervised the case but refused to divulge anything relating to the probe saying that it would be inappropriate to speak on the issue as he was no more with the CBI nor he had any records pertaining to the case with him. Ranjan, however, recalled that one of the noted lawyers from Chennai had gone through the entire records before the final chargesheet was filed against Rathore by the CBI.
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