The Law Ministry is contemplating asking the National Commission for Women to move the Supreme Court seeking its intervention for stiffer punishment for a former Haryana top cop who has been sentenced to six months' imprisonment for molesting a teenaged girl. Law Minister M Veerappa Moily said "NCW could approach the Supreme Court seeking its intervention for an enhanced punishment for former Haryana DGP S P S Rathore under the present case (under section 354 relating to molestation of the IPC)". Rathore has been convicted for molesting Ruchika Girhotra in 1993 and she committed suicide three years later.

Sources in Law Ministry said that by seeking the apex court's intervention through NCW, government hopes to get directions on how to go about the case.

As of now, the Law Ministry is working on two ideas: to seek enhanced punishment for Rathore for molesting Ruchika and to charge him with abetment of suicide.

Moily said that after going through the case, he felt the case against Rathore was based only on charges of molestation and not abetment of suicide.

He has said Ruchika was forced out of the school in Chandigarh and her brother Ashu handcuffed and kept in police custody for two months.

"These are the circumstances which led to the suicide (of Ruchika). There are lots of people involved," he said.

Asked whether others, including police officers and school authorities, could also be charged with abetting Ruchika's suicide, Moily said "yes".