Zeenews Bureau
Chandigarh/Panchkula: The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Tuesday did not allow interim bail to disgraced former Haryana state police chief SPS Rathore and slated the hearing of his anticipatory bail for Jan 18, even as the CBI took over the probe into the three fresh FIRs against the former DGP.
While taking up Rathore’s plea for anticipatory bail and his petition to quash fresh cases registered against him, the High Court asked the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to file its reply in this case on Jan 18.
Justice Sabina, in whose court the petition was heard Tuesday, did not allow Rathore interim bail against arrest till the next hearing. Rathore was convicted last month by a CBI court here for molesting teenaged tennis player Ruchika Girhotra Aug 12, 1990, in Panchkula town.
This means that the CBI, which has taken over the case involving Rathore and re-registered three fresh first information reports (FIRs) against him Monday evening, can any time arrest the former Haryana director general of police (DGP).
CBI counsel told the High Court that the investigation agency had taken over the case only Monday evening and needed to study the material before it states its opposition to Rathore`s plea for anticipatory bail and quashing of the new FIRs.
Appearing on Rathore`s behalf, his counsel and wife Abha Rathore sought anticipatory bail for him and the quashing of the three fresh FIRs, saying that these had been registered due to media pressure.
Meanwhile, the district and sessions court in Chandigarh Tuesday also admitted Rathore`s appeal against his conviction by a CBI special court here Dec 21 in the Ruchika Girhotra molestation case.
The case will now be heard Wednesday as Rathore did not appear before the court Tuesday, saying he was not well.
CBI takes over probe into 3 fresh FIRs
Meanwhile, the CBI on Tuesday took over the probe into the three fresh FIRs against Rathore who was recently given a lighter sentence of six-month imprisonment by a designated court in the Ruchika molestation case, 19 years after the incident.
After the conviction of Rathore by a CBI court in Chandigarh last month, the Haryana Police had registered three fresh FIRs against Rathore two of which were later transferred to the seven member Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by IGP (Security) S S Kapoor.
The two FIRs transferred to the SIT were registered on the complaints of Ruchika`s father Subhash Chander Girhotra and brother Ashu levelling a series of criminal charges, including attempt to murder, wrongful confinement, causing disappearance of evidence and doctoring the post mortem report against the former Haryana top cop.
The third FIR against Rathore charging him under Section 306 IPC (abetment to suicide) was registered on January 5. The earlier two FIRs were registered on December 29 last.
The other accused in the three FIRs were the then Ambala Superintendent of Police (SP) K P Singh, Sub Inspector Prem Dutt and Assistant Sub Inspectors Jai Narayan and Sewa Singh.
The three cases would be investigated by the agency`s Special Crime Branch (SCB) from New Delhi and the local office would only be providing assistance, a senior CBI officer in the Chandigarh office of the agency said.
SIT sources said that they were handing over to the CBI all the documents, including the statements of some of those associated with the three cases in one way or the other besides the records available with them.
Sixty-eight-year-old Rathore was awarded six months` rigorous imprisonment and fined Rs 1,000 by the Chandigarh CBI court last month for having molested a budding 14-year-old tennis player Ruchika here on August 12, 1990. The girl committed suicide three years later in December 1993.
Punjab and Haryana High Court today issued notices to the CBI for January 18 on two petitions of Rathore seeking anticipatory bail in the first two FIRs and the third petition seeking quashing of the third FIR charging him under Section 306 IPC (abetment to suicide), saying the issue had been settled at the level of the Supreme Court.
(With PTI/IANS inputs)
