Zeenews Bureau
New Delhi: A fast track justice system was needed, Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) MP Brinda Karat said in the Rajya Sabha Tuesday while referring to the 1990 molestation of a 14-year-old girl in Chandigarh for which a former Haryana director general of police was sentenced to six months in prison.
Home Minister P. Chidambaram and Law Minister Veerappa Moily were present in the house, she pointed out. She said the cop was let-off too lightly and that the law needed a review to avoid such an incident.
She demanded that government bring out laws to protect minors from sexual harassment and have fast track courts in this regard.
Former Haryana director general of police (DGP) S.P.S. Rathore was Monday sentenced to six months in prison for molesting 14-year-old budding tennis player Ruchika Girhotra, who committed suicide three years later following continuous harassment of her and her family.
Rathore was allowed bail by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court special judge J.S. Sidhu immediately after his sentencing.
The former DGP can now appeal before a higher court against the CBI court order. Sources close to Rathore said that he would appeal against his sentencing. This attracted scorn from the Left MP in the House.
The former DGP can now appeal before a higher court against the CBI court order. Sources close to Rathore said that he would appeal against his sentencing.
"The sentence is very less even though we are happy that he (Rathore) has been found guilty and sentenced by the court," said retired Haryana government official Anand Prakash, whose daughter was the lone eyewitness to the Aug 12, 1990 molestation of Girhotra in Haryana's Panchkula town, 10 km from state capital Chandigarh.
She urged the government to award the family and friends of Ruchika who had stood firmly as witness in the case.
-IANS input
First Published: Tuesday, December 22, 2009, 11:59