Ruchika molestation case: Hearing adjourned to Friday

CHANDIGARH - A local court here Thursday adjourned to Friday the hearing on former Haryana police chief S.P.S. Rathore’s plea challenging his conviction for molesting teenager Ruchika Girhotra.

A Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) plea for enhancement of Rathores sentence is also pending before the same court.

Additional District and Sessions Judge Gurbir Singh heard the arguments for over six-hours Thursday before adjourning the hearing. During Thursday’s proceedings the media were not allowed inside the courtroom on the request of Rathores counsel.

The CBI special court held Rathore guilty in December last year of molesting 15-year-old Ruchika in Panchkula town in August 1990. She committed suicide three years later.

He was sentenced to six months’ rigorous imprisonment and slapped a fine of Rs.1,000. However, he was immediately granted bail.

On Thursday, Rathore was accompanied by his wife and counsel Abha Rathore during the hearing. Complainant Anand Parkash and his lawyer Pankaj Bhardwaj were also present.

Abha told the court that the media had created an unnecessary hype in the case and she did not want it to print the arguments. Taking note of her request, the judge directed mediapersons to leave the courtroom despite a protest from the complainants lawyer.

Today only Abha Rathore and her lawyer put forward facts before the court and there was no argument, Parkash told reporters after the hearing.

The court on March 10 adjourned this case till April 15 on Rathore’s plea that his counsel was recovering from an injury.

Earlier, the case had come up for hearing Feb 8 but was postponed by the court following a knife attack on Rathore and his lawyer by a student, Utsav Sharma.