Copies of the fresh FIRs lodged by the Haryana Police against former Director General of Police S P S Rathore in the Ruchika molestation case were submitted on Thursdayin court by his lawyer-wife Abha.
She submitted the copies of the two FIRs (Nos. 573 and 574) registered by Panchkula Police against Rathore on Tuesday night following fresh complaints by Ruchika's father Subhash Chander Girhotra and brother Ashu, accusing the former IPS officer of attempt to murder, torture and doctoring of the girl's post-mortem report.
Submitting the copies, Abha, who appeared for her husband in court yesterday to argue his anticipatory bail plea, told District Judge S P Singh that on the charge of harassment, the Haryana Government had earlier given a clean chit to the former DGP.
"Rathore had been cleared by the Supreme Court in 2005 of the charge of harassment of Ashu. The allegations, including his false implication in various cases, arrest and torture, levelled by Ashu, were the same as those made in the fresh complaint filed by him on Tuesday," she said.
Abha was asked by the judge to submit a copy of the apex court order tomorrow when the case will come up for further hearing. Apprehending Rathore's arrest, Abha pleaded for interim bail, but the judge said the matter would be taken up on Friday as it is already listed and she could submit other documents in support of her arguments.
Abha submitted in the court that Girhotra and his friend Anand Parkash were speaking "out of turn and misleading the court. They should be slapped with the offence of contempt of court as they are talking about cases which have been settled earlier". She said the demand for invoking section 305 of the IPC (abetment to suicide of a minor) was not made out because Ruchika was not a minor when she died in 1993.
Ruchika was molested by Rathore in 1990 for which he has been sentenced to six months imprisonment. 67-year-old "Rathore is being presented in such a way as if he is God who controls everything, including the police, the Central Bureau of Investigation and the entire system," she said.
Abha said the probe by the seven-member SIT or any other agency is welcome. She also told the court that Rathore had no role in the expulsion of Ruchika from the Sacred Heart School in Chandigarh. The issue of invoking 306 IPC (abetment to suicide) has already been settled in the Supreme Court which said that no case of abetment to suicide is made out against Rathore, Abha added.
