Chandigarh: A local court today began hearing
on a day-to-day basis tainted former Haryana DGP SPS Rathore`s
petition challenging his conviction in Ruchika Girhotra
molestation case and the pleas by the CBI and the victim`s
family seeking enhancement of his six-month prison term.
68-year-old Rathore, his counsel wife Abha Rathore and
another counsel N D Sharma were present in the Court of
Additional District and Sessions Judge Gurbir Singh when he
began hearing the petitions on a day-to-day basis.
"Abha Rathore again submitted before the Court that it
was a case of media hype. She said Rathore had been a victim
of rivalry in the Haryana Lawn Tennis Association (of which he
was a senior functioinary in the 1990s). She contended that he
did not have any political clout at that time (1990) as he was
posted on deputation," Ruchika`s family lawyer Pankaj Bhardwaj
told reporters outside the Court declared out of bounds for
the media.
The ADSJ had on the last hearing on April 16 directed
that the three petitions filed by Rathore, CBI and Ruchika`s
family and friends will be heared on day-to-day basis from May
three to May eight without adjournments.
Clad in a white shirt and light brown jeans, Rathore
arrived in the Court in the morning amid tight security
following an earlier attack on him here in February.
The former DGP was sentenced to six-month imprisonment on
December 21 last year by CBI Judge J S Sidhu who had held him
guilty of molesting a budding tennis player Ruchika Girhotra,
14, at Panchkula near here in Haryana on August 12, 1990 who
later committed suicide.
-PTI
