Chandigarh, January 18
Less than a week after it took over the investigation into fresh cases in the Ruchika molestation and suicide case, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) today told the Punjab and Haryana High Court that Haryana’s former Director-General of Police SPS Rathore “can abscond or otherwise hamper the investigations”.
In separate replies to Rathore’s two pleas for anticipatory bails, the CBI said, “The petitioner held a high position in the Haryana Police and “can tamper” with the probe. He was also “capable of intimidating the witnesses.”
Even as the CBI opposed the bail petitions and sought their dismissal “in the interest of justice”, it made no effort to take him in custody. As of now, Rathore has no interim protection against his arrest.
As the case came up for hearing in Justice Sabina’s court, Rathore’s wife-cum-counsel Abha Rathore did not even argue for the interim relief. Though the previous two hearings saw Abha praying hard for court’s indulgence against Rathore’s arrest, she did not even mention the words “interim protection” this time.
Abha, rather, challenged the premier investigation agency to tell the court if it had gathered any incriminating evidence against Rathore. “The CBI
should point out what is against the petitioner,” she asserted. “Its 30-member team is here from Delhi for six days. They should tell what they have found out,” she said.
She said the CBI had simply quoted the contents of FIRs in its replies, rather than informing the court on the progress, if any, made in the case so far. “This way, we will not get justice,” she claimed.
Abha also alleged the copy of reply by Ruchika Girhotra’s brother Ashu Girhotra to their anticipatory bail pleas had not been handed over to them; an assertion strongly contradicted by opposite counsel Pankaj Bhardwaj.
Also appearing before the court, Assistant Solicitor-General of India-cum-CBI’s special public prosecutor Dr Anmol Rattan Sidhu, along with CBI counsel Ajay Kaushik, sought four weeks for replying to the third petition on quashing the FIR registered under Section 306 of the IPC for abetment to suicide.
Sidhu added they were putting in their best efforts and working towards providing justice to the complainant, and the accused also.
After hearing the sides, Justice Sabina adjourned the matter till Monday for enabling Abha to argue the matter on the basis of replies filed so far.
A perusal of the CBI’s report, earlier filed before the court, shows the investigating agency has clearly differentiated the fresh cases from the earlier one. In 2000, the CBI had investigated the incident of molestation of Ruchika by the petitioner. The allegations in the present FIR were different, it said.
