Rathore gets bail in Ruchika case

New Delhi: Wednesday’s clean chit by the CBI to former Haryana DGP S P S Rathore in two cases linked to the Ruchika Girhotra
molestation
incident had a significant bearing on the Supreme Court’s decision on Thursday to order the ex-cop’s release from prison on bail in the main case.

Just a fortnight ago, additional solicitor general Harin Raval had opposed grant of bail by the SC to Rathore, pointing out that it could be detrimental to the CBI probe into three FIRs on incidents directly related to the molestation case.
But, on Thursday the ASG informed a bench comprising Justices P Sathasivam and B S Chauhan that CBI found no evidence against Rathore in two cases — one on alleged tampering and fabrication of evidence relating to the post-mortem report of Ruchika and the second, harassing of family members, including torturing her brother Ashu and registering false cases against him.
The third FIR on alleged abetment to suicide of Ruchika had also been investigated by CBI, but a final report could not be filed because of a stay on it by the Punjab and Haryana high court, Raval said. Appropriate steps would be taken after taking leave of the HC, he added.
Counsel for the victim’s family cried hoarse and told the court that the CBI’s clean chit to Rathore exhibited the enormous influence he wielded in official circles and sought some more time from the court to present grounds to reinforce his plea that bail be not granted to the former cop at this stage.
But the bench was unimpressed and said the trial court had sentenced Rathore to six months imprisonment after convicting him in the molestation case and the HC while upholding the conviction had increased the term to one year and six months.