Chandigarh: The CBI today presented evidence
before a local court today hearing pleas of the agency and
Ruchika Girhotra`s family seeking enhancement of sentence
awarded to disgraced former Haryana DGP SPS Rathore for
molesting the teenager.
During the day-long in-camera proceeding, the CBI
counsel presented evidence and witnesses in the case.
"The investigating agency is likely to end up reading
out its evidence by tomorrow and after that I may take a day
to present my views before the Judge gives his verdict,"
Pankaj Bhardwaj, the lawyer for Ruchika`s family, told
reporters outside court premises.
Rathore was sentenced to a 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, 14,
at Panchkula near here in Haryana on August 12, 1990 who later
committed suicide.
Yesterday, Rathore`s counsel, including his wife Abha,
submitted their evidences to the court which is hearing the
case on day-to-day basis since May 3.
Bhardwaj said that "after the hearing is over, if the
court upholds the sentence or enhances it, the arrest of
Rathore is imminent.
"It`s a second appeal in this case and there is no
provision of grant of bail immediately if the sentence is
upheld or it is enhanced," he added.
"We here have a good case against the accused," Bhardwaj
said.
During the court proceedings, which were out of bounds
for media, Rathore and his wife and Anand Parkash, father
of Ruchika`s friend and prime witness Aradhana, were also
present in the court room.
Additional District Session Judge (ADSJ) Gurbir Singh
had on April 16 directed that the three petitions filed by
Rathore, CBI and Ruchika`s family and friends will be heared
on a day-to-day basis from May three to May eight without
adjournments.
-PTI
