Ruchika case: CBI likely to quiz Rathore

The Central Bureau of Investigation is likely to quiz former Haryana DGP S P S Rathore on Friday in connection with the three fresh cases registered against him for molesting budding tennis player Ruchika Girhotra 19 years ago.

Rathore may be quizzed on Friday by the CBI which recently took over the investigations from the Haryana police on the recommendations of the state government, CBI sources said.

The top investigating agency had a week earlier recorded the statements of the father and brother of Ruchika, besides their family friend Anand Prakash as part of its probe into the three fresh FIRs filed against Rathore.

The FIRs against Rathore include abetment to suicide, attempt to murder, wrongful confinement and forging of post-mortem report of Ruchika, who had committed suicide three years after she was molested by the former IPS officer on August 12, 1990.

CBI had earlier sent a notice to Rathore asking him to join the investigations by Friday.

Hearing on Rathore's pleas for anticipatory bail and quashing of the charge of abetment to suicide was adjourned by the Punjab and Haryana High Court till January 25 even as the CBI had opposed any relief to the tainted former DGP.

While opposing any relief to Rathore, the CBI in its reply before the High Court had submitted that he has also been convicted in the previous case relating to molestation, adding that the former top cop 'can abscond to thwart investigation.'

On January 15, a CBI team held an eight-hour interaction with Anand Parkash, father of Aradhna, the sole eye witness in the case, at its camp office in Chandigarh.

Besides Parkash, the CBI officials had also held separate meetings with Ruchika's father and brother.

The trial court had handed down lesser sentence of six months jail term and a fine of Rs 1000 to Rathore for molesting the 14-year-old girl.