Court Serves Notices on Haryana Govt, CBI, Rathore in Ruchika Case
Hearing a PIL seeking fresh investigation into Ruchika Molestation case, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has served notices on the Haryana state government, the CBI and former Haryana DGP SPS Rathore.
The court asked why it was as long as 19 years before justice came to Ruchika’s family.
The court instructed the Haryana government, the CBI and Rathore to file their replies by January 27. The notices were issued on a PIL moved by the World Human Rights Protection Council (WHRPC) for probe into the delay in delivery of justice.
However, no notice was issued against the Sacred Heart School, which has been accused of expelling Ruchika at the behest of Rathore, for Haryana government said that it had already started an investigation into the matter.
Meanwhile, on Wednesday, the Haryana police refrained from opposing Rathore’s bail request in the Panchkula court a day before the court was to hear the former Haryana DGP’s anticipatory bail plea. The state government had on Tuesday recommended to the Centre a CBI probe into charges of abetment to suicide by Ruchika.
The sentence handed out to former Rathore after being found guilty of the molestation of 14-year-old Ruchika Girhotra in 1990 – a six-month prison sentence and a fine of Rs 1,000 – provoked widespread outrage and led to fresh charges against the cop. Three years after the incident, Ruchika had committed suicide.
