Ruchika case: Rathore's bail plea hearing today
Former Haryana DGP SPS Rathore's petition seeking suspension of his sentence is slated for hearing at the Punjab and Haryana High Court today. The former Haryana DGP is undergoing an 18-month jail sentence in the Ruchika Girhotra molestation case.
Former Haryana Director General of Police (DGP) SPS Rathore's petition seeking suspension of his sentence is slated for hearing at the Punjab and Haryana High Court today. The former Haryana DGP is undergoing an 18-month jail sentence in the Ruchika Girhotra molestation case.
He has spent over a month in the barracks of Burail jail after being convicted for molesting Ruchika Girhotra, 20 years ago. A local court had sentenced him to 18 months imprisonment on May 25 and he has been behind bars since then. Soon after his imprisonment, the court had gone on a month's vacation.
Vacation judge Justice Ajay Tewari had fixed June 29 for hearing, before an “appropriate” bench, for the revision petition filed by the 68-year-old Rathore for suspension of the sentence and his bail plea.
The judge had noted that normally where the sentence is up to three years, bail should be granted liberally since long pendency of the appeal/revision may result in the convict having to complete the jail term.
“In a case like the present, where the accused has been found guilty of a particularly odious offence, this rule can be departed from,” the judge said.
He, however, held that in order to safeguard the right of the accused, hearing on the main petition must be expedited.
Justice Tiwari had also observed that if the high court does not hear his main petition against the sentence, Rathore's lawyers can press for his release.
On Tuesday, the court will hear the former Haryana DGP's suspension of sentence petition as well as the main petition against the sentence. The case would come up for hearing before Justice Rajan Gupta.