A sessions court in Chandigarh deferred the verdict on plea for enhancing sentence of former Haryana police chief SPS Rathore in Ruchika Girhotra molestation case to May 25 on Thursday.
Additional District and Sessions Judge Gurbir Singh deferred the verdict saying since the judgment was lengthy and hence was being postponed by five days to provide time to complete the process of writing the judgment.
The judge had on May 11 last fixed the verdict for Thursday on the three pleas -- one by the former director general of police challenging his six-month rigorous imprisonment for "outraging the modesty" of 14-year-old tennis player Ruchika and two appeals by Ruchika's family and the Central Bureau of Investigation seeking enhancement of the sentence awarded to him by the trial court.
Rathore and his lawyer wife Abha arrived in the court half-an-hour before the scheduled time 2 pm and sat quietly.
Ruchika's father S C Girhotra and Anand Prakash and Madhu Prakash, parents of the sole eyewitness Aradhna, also came to the court before time.
Rathore was sentenced to six-month imprisonment on December 21 last year by a CBI court for molesting the budding tennis player at Panchakula in Haryana on August 12, 1990.
Reacting on the verdict, Girhotra told the media outside the court that there was nothing wrong in the judgment being postponed.
"The judge could not have completed his judgment. We are hopeful that justice will be done. We have no doubt (on this)," he added.
Anand Prakash said Rathore had already been held guilty by the trial court, which took a lenient view of his crime due to his age and health.
He alleged that Rathore had misused his position to molest the girl. "Instead of protecting the child, he molested her,"
Prakash said adding it was a premeditated action by the police officer.
He said defence presented by the former DGP in the court are after-thoughts.
"Sixteen witnesses, including two retired Indian administrative service officers, were presented and it is a strong case in our favour," he claimed.
"We will not leave our fight and take it to its logical end," he said.
Madhu Prakash said punishment to Rathore would send a strong message to the society that law is equal for all.
Ruchika family's lawyer Pankaj Bhardwaj said he was neither upset nor hurt at the postponement.
He claimed Rathore's arrest is imminent after the order of the appellant court next week. "The only way Rathore can seek bail is that he will have to approach the high court," he added.
