Rathore faces abetment of suicide charge

Police in Panchkula near Chandigarh on Tuesday slapped a fresh charge of abetment of suicide against disgraced former Haryana Director-General of Police S P S Rathore for allegedly driving teenager Ruchika Girhotra whom he molested in 1990 to suicide three years later through harassment of her family.

Rathore, who was booked under Sec 306 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) dealing with abetment of suicide, can be jailed up to ten years if convicted.

The new first information report (FIR) was registered on the basis of a complaint lodged by Ruchika's brother Ashu that she committed suicide a day after police slapped false cases of car thefts on him, hand-cuffed him and paraded him through the streets of Panchkula where the family lived.

What outraged the family and the society at large was that not only did the trial last all of 19 years, but at the end of it, Rathore got away with a light punishment of a mere six months in jail on molestation charge and was immediately granted bail by the trial court to enable him to appeal in the high court.

"We have registered the third FIR against him (Rathore). We have recommended that all cases be handed over to the CBI for investigation," said Panchkula Superintendent of Police Maneesh Chaudhary, who is also part of the State special investigation team (SIT) probing the case.

Ruchika, a budding tennis player who was molested by Rathore on Aug 12, 1990 when she was 14, committed suicide Dec 28, 1993, by consuming insecticide.

The other two FIRs relate to slapping of false cases against Ashu and tampering with the inquest report to make it appear that Ruchika died after taking an overdose of slimming pills and coercing her father to sign in false documents to cover up suicide.

So terrified was Ruchika's family that the case was pursued by Anand and Manju Sharma, parents of her close friend and classmate Aradhana Gupta who deposed as the sole eye-witness to the incident.

The fresh FIR against Rathore has given new hope to Ruchika's friend Aradhana's family.
"I am very happy that Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda has kept his promise and an FIR under section 306 has been registered against Rathore", said Aradhana. Her father Anand Prakash said "now nobody can save Rathore from a rigorous punishment".

Meanwhile, provoked by questions on the role of the judiciary in the Ruchika Girhotra case, the Punjab and Haryana high court has sought details of all pending cases where top policemen, bureaucrats and politicians are among the accused.

Taking suo motu cognisance of the inordinately long process of investigations and trial that preceded the conviction of Rathore, Justice Ranjit Singh said that the courts cannot escape part of the blame for allowing influential people "to circumvent the system."

The court issued notices to the Home Secretaries of Punjab and Haryana States and the Union Territory of Chandigarh, which is also the common capital of the two States, directing them to submit full details of all criminal cases involving "highly connected people."

Justice Singh said: "Bugged by the delay in deciding Ruchika's case, the public at large is clamoring for the heads of all those who were instrumental for the aberration. This case is a prime example of `justice delayed is justice denied'. Blame for this has to be shared by all concerned, including the justice delivery system of the courts."

-Asian Tribune -