Cong says Ruchika case verdict will be a deterrent

The Congress today said the enhanced sentence awarded to former Haryana DGP SPS Rathore for molesting a teenager would act as a deterrent while BJP demanded that an appeal be filed in a higher court as he deserved a stronger punishment.

The Congress on Tuesday said the enhanced sentence awarded to former Haryana DGP SPS Rathore for molesting a teenager would act as a deterrent while BJP demanded that an appeal be filed in a higher court as he deserved a stronger punishment.

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Rathore was on Tuesday arrested for the first time after a sessions court enhanced his prison term from six months to 18 months for molesting 14-year-old Ruchika Girhotra--who later committed suicide--20 years ago.

"The judgement of the court would act as a deterrent to all such people. The confidence of the people in the judicial system would grow," Congress spokesman Shakeel Ahmed told reporters here.

BJP, on the other hand, expressed dissatisfaction at the one-and-a-half year jail term awarded to Rathore.

"The punishment given to Rathore is not adequate. He had harassed the innocent girl and misused his powers to torture her family and deserves a stronger punishment," BJP spokesman Ravi Shankar Prasad said.