Panchkula, June 2
Even as Ruchika’s family has decided to maintain a stoic silence over the decision of the special CBI court here for accepting the closure report filed by the CBI, Anand Prakash, father of Ruchika’s friend, Aradhana, has decided to file a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) petition in the court against the order.

Anand Prakash talking to The Tribune said he and his family would not sit silent over the issue as it was not the case of Ruchika only but every girl in the country, who is molested or raped by influential persons, who get acquitted by using their official position. He said besides the PIL they were also thinking of launching a public movement in this regard.

Notably in a major relief to the former super cop of Haryana SPS Rathore, the special CBI court on Friday had accepted the closure report in the Ruchika molestation case filed by the CBI in October 2010 as the family members of the former budding tennis star did not contest the report. Recently, the CBI had filed its closure report in two FIRs, which were registered against former Haryana DGP SPS Rathore before the Ambala special CBI court.

The investigating agency, in its closure report, had stated that the shopkeepers of Sector 6 market, had stated that they neither heard nor saw Ashu being paraded in a half-naked condition and with handcuffs by the police in December 1993. The neighbours of SC Girhotra in his street at Sector 6 also denied having seen parading of Ashu on the same day, said the report.

Prakash, who along with his wife, Madhu, had been supporting the Girhotras during more than one decade, said Ruchika’s father SC Girhotra and brother Ashu had not contested the closure report as they were suspecting that the CBI had totally turned in favour of former super cop of Haryana SPS Rathore. He said Girhotra had complained to the Union Home Minister P Chidambaram in February 2010 about the biased attitude of the CBI and the special secretary of the Home Ministry had assured him of action.

Chandigarh, June 2
Failure to prevent ragging in any educational institution in Haryana could land the head of the institution in jail!

Besides the students involved in ragging, who will risk their academic career, heads of the institutions will also face the music as the Haryana Cabinet, which met under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda here yesterday, approved the Haryana Prohibition of Ragging in Educational Institution Ordinance,2012 -- moving a step closer to making the state “ragging-free”.

“In case of contravention of the provisions of the ordinance by an educational institution, the head would be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to six months and with fine which may extend to Rs 25,000,” the ordinance said.

In fact, in case ragging is proved, it will virtually block the academic career of the perpetrator. Besides, compulsory suspension of the student for a minimum period of one year, an FIR will be lodged by the head of the institute in case ragging constitutes a criminal offence under the IPC.

The head of the institution could impose any one or a combination of punishments to the students, including withdrawing scholarship or fellowship and other benefits, forfeiting campus placement opportunities or recommendations, debarring from appearing in any test or examination or other evaluation process, withholding of result, debarring from representing the educational institute in any regional, national or international meet, tournament, youth festival, suspension or expulsion from the hostel, cancellation of admission, rustication from the educational institution for up to three years, expulsion from the educational institution and consequent debarring from admission to any other educational institution for a period of three years and imposition of fine up to Rs 25,000.

Sources said the state government may also impose a fine on erring educational institutions which may extend to Rs 2 lakh in case of a college or school and Rs 5 lakh in case of a university. However, opportunity of personal hearing would be given to the educational institute, they added.

With a view to root out ragging, law will be enforced in all schools, colleges, universities and technical institutions, including their canteens, hostels or transport provided by them within or outside the premises.

To enforce the law, one or more five-membered anti-ragging committee would be constituted by the university vice-chancellors and school and college principals.

Though the anti-ragging law is welcome, yet the stringent provisions will virtually ruin the careers of the students found guilty of ragging. Justice and fair play demand that students’ side should also be heard while declaring them guilty of ragging. Meanwhile, the provision of jail term for the head of the institutions, who are a third party in the ragging menace, is simply draconian.

— Manvir Singh, B.Tech student

Jind, June 2
Tomorrow will be a big day for Jind district when Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda will launch or inaugurate various projects worth over Rs 1,300 crore on a single day. He will be accompanied by CP Joshi, Union Minister of Roads, Transport and Highways.

Making a determined foray into what is described as an Opposition citadel, Hooda will also address a public meeting, which has been christened as “Vikas rally” by the ruling party.

The Congress had lost all five seats in the district to the Opposition during the last Assembly elections. In that context, Hooda’s rally is being touted as the most prominent political event of the district this year. It is virtually his first public meeting here after the last Assembly elections. He did visit Jind during the Hisar Lok Sabha byelection campaign. But during that time he could not launch any development projects due to the model code of conduct.

The rally will be an opportunity for the ruling party to judge where it stands in the district politically now. It is to be seen if the party will be able to put up a united face. There are reports that Rajya Sabha member Birender Singh, who belongs to Jind district, will also attend the rally. But it could not be confirmed as his mobile phone was switched off.

Both local administration and workers of the ruling party have been busy overtime during the past few weeks to ensure the success of the rally. “The rally will mark the beginning of the development process that has eluded the district since its inception,’’ says Ramesh Gupta, a local political and social observer.

For the past few weeks the Congress leaders and the bureaucratic top brass have been visiting Jind to oversee the rally’s preparations. “From their visits, the people of the town have felt assured that Jind was not unknown to the officers, who would generally avoid a posting here due to its backward tag,” claimed an official.

Joshi and Hooda will lay the foundation stones of the Jind-Sonepat railway line, four-laning of the Jind section of the NH-71, four-laning of the bridge over the Delhi-Bathinda railway line crossing and the Narwana-Jind-Rohtak road near Patiala Chowk.

Fatehabad, June 2
The authorities, who had swung into action after Pooja’s story was published in The Tribune on May 31, finally found her brother, Sat Pal, who took away his sister with him after she was relieved from the General Hospital, where she was admitted for acute pain due to stone.

The SDM, Baljit Singh, obtained an undertaking from Sat Pal that he would take care of his sister and her toddler.

Earlier, the Chief Judicial Magistrate (District Legal Service Authority), Harish Gupta, visited the hospital to enquire after Pooja’s welfare.

Pooja (20) was found running barefooted from one office to the other to seek a roof under which she could spend the night with her one and a half years old son. Pooja had no slippers to wear while her son had no shirt on her body.

Spurned by husband, Pooja’s widowed mother, who allegedly lived with another man, had shown the door to Pooja that day and she was worried about her own and her son’s safety in the approaching night.

When no one helped her, two young lawyers, Vinay Sharma and Madhusudan Godara, came forward to take up her case with the District and Sessions Judge, SC Goyal, who is also the chairman of the DLSA and got Pooja shelter through orders of a local court.

She was later shifted to the General Hospital, Fatehabad, with severe pain in abdomen.

After the news-item “Officers ignore pleas of destitute mom with infant” was published in The Tribune, the Deputy Commissioner, ML Kaushik, deputed the SDM, Baljit Singh, to provide all possible help to Pooja.

Pooja has all along been saying that she wants to be reunited with her Mansa- based husband, who has filed a divorce petition against her in a Ratia court.

Advocate Vinay Sharma has assured her that he will contest her case for free and with the help of the DLSA, he will make all efforts to resolve their marital discord.