…RUCHIKA GIRHOTRA’S CASE
Ruchika was a student in Class X A (Batch of 1991) at Sacred Heart School for Girls in Chandigarh. Her father, Mr. S.C. Girhotra, was a bank manager. Her mother died when she was ten. Ruchika, along with her friend, Aradhna, took training at the Haryana Lawn Tennis Association (HLTA). The hearings were attended by Aradhna’s parents Anand and Madhu Parkash, after Ruchika's father and brother had to leave Panchkula due to harrasment. Advocates Pankaj Bhardwaj and Meet Malhotra fought the case for free since 1996.
Rathore was on deputation to Bhakhra Beas Management Board as Director, Vigilance and Security, during the time of incident. He was the founding president of the Haryana Lawn Tennis Association and he used the garage of his house at 496 Sector 6, Panchkula, as it's office. Rathore's wife Abha is an advocate. She defended his case from the beginning. Rathore's daughter Priyanjali was Ruchika's classmate. She is now a practising lawyer. His son Rahul also practises law.
http://wikipedia.org/Ruchika_Girhotra_Case.htm
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2009/20091226/main2.htm
On August 11, 1990, Rathore visited Ruchika's house and met her father SC Girhotra. He promised to get special training for Ruchika and requested that Ruchika meet him the following day with regard to this. On August 12 (Sunday), Ruchika, along with her friend Aradhana, went to play at the lawn tennis court and met Rathore in his office (in the garage of his house). On seeing both of them, Rathore asked Aradhana to call the tennis coach (Mr. Thomas) to his room. Aradhana left, and Rathore was alone with Ruchika. He immediately grabbed her hand and waist and pressed his body against hers. Ruchika tried to push him away, but he continued molesting her. But Aradhana returned and witnessed what was going on. On seeing her, Rathore released Ruchika. But Aradhana returned and witnessed what was going on. On seeing her, Rathore released Ruchika. But it was on August 14, when Rathore called the girls to their office, they told their parents about the incident.
After this, a few Panchkula residents decided to meet higher authorities in this regard. They met Home Secretary J K Duggal, who, on August 17, 1990, discussed the matter with the Home Minister and asked DGP Ram Rakshpal Singh to investigate. On September 3, 1990, the inquiry report submitted by RR Singh to Home Secretary J K Duggal indicted Rathore which recommended that an FIR be filed immediately against Rathore. But no action was taken.
On September 20, 1990, two weeks after the inquiry indicted Rathore, Ruchika was expelled from her school, with reason being non-payment of fees and also indiscipline. And then, the story of harassment started. Ruchika was followed and abused by Rathore’s henchmen. False cases of theft, murder and civil defamation were filed against Ruchika's father and her 10 year old brother Ashu and also, there were cases against Anand Parkash, his wife Madhu, and their minor daughter Aradhana. Aradhana, who is the sole witness in the molestation case, had ten civil cases filed against her by Rathore. She received abusive and threatening calls for months until she got married and left for Australia.
On September 23 1993, Ruchika's then 13 year old brother, Ashu, was picked up in the market place near his house by police to Crime Investigation Agency (CIA) Staff Office in Mansa Devi, Panchkula. He was tortured there. Later, he was taken to his house and beaten mercilessly in front of Ruchika by Rathore. Rathore then threatened her, saying that if she did not take back the complaint, her father, and then she herself, would face the same fate. Ashu was picked up again on November 11, 1993. He was tortured again and was unable to walk due to the beatings. Ruchika’s house in Sector 6 Panchkula was forcibly sold to a lawyer working for Rathore. Ruchika's father was suspended from his job as bank manager, on charges of alleged corruption, after coercion from Rathore.
http://wikipedia.org/Ruchika_Girhotra_Case.htm
http://PunjabNewsline.com/RuchikaMolestationCase/FreshFIRagainstRathoreandotherpoliceofficials.htm
In November 1994, Rathore was promoted. No action was taken on the inquiry report. Anand Parkash started trying to get copy of the report. After 3 years, he finally obtained it in 1997, and in November, moved the Punjab and Haryana High Court. On August 21, 1998, the High Court directed the CBI to conduct an inquiry. On November 16, 2000, the CBI filed a charge sheet against Rathore u/s 354 (molestation) of IPC. Despite the CBI charge sheet, the government allowed Rathore to continue as police chief.
The first hearing for the case was on November 17, 2000 and the hearings continued till May 2006. After filing the charge sheet in 2000, the CBI took 7 years to record evidence from 16 prosecution witnesses. On the other hand, the defense counsel took nine months to complete examination of 13 out of the total 17 witnesses. Rathore tried to use his influence with the CBI. Rathore also used other technical grounds like demanding that the trial be videographed to cause more delays. He later claimed that the long delays were grounds for a reduced sentence.
On November 5, 2009, the case was transferred from the Ambala court to CBI Chandigarh. In December, the court closed all final arguments, gave its verdict and on December 21, 2009, special judge J.S. Sidhu, pronounced a six-month jail sentence and a fine of Rs 1000 to Rathore. Though, the sentence has been suspended upto January 20, 2010. Rathore was also granted bail in just 15 minutes of passing the sentence.
The Haryana police registered two fresh FIRs against former state Director General of Police S.P.S Rathore and other police officials for allegedly lodging false cases against Ruchika Girhotra's brother, trying to murder him and fabricating her postmortem report, under sections 307 (attempt to murder), 182 (false information, with intent to cause public servant to use his lawful power to the injury of another person), 195A (threatening a person to give false evidence) of the IPC. Police booked four persons, including former state Director General of Police Shambhu Partap Singh Rathore for attempt to murder, illegal detention and forging the documents in connection with the Ruchika murder and suicide case. Sub-inspector Prem Dutt and assistant sub-inspectors Jai Narayan and Sewa Singh are the others accused against whom the cases have been registered.
Within 24 hours of getting booked, Rathore applied for anticipatory bail on Wednesday but was not given relief. The sessions court in Panchkula denied him interim bail and listed his case for hearing on January 1. Thus, it seems that Rathore would finally be getting the taste for his deeds.
This incidence has shaken entire nation. It is a matter of shame that so much atrocity has been committed. Ruchika was an innocent girl, who became prey to powerful and worthless authorities. Her whole family was played with, in the same matter and she finally committed suicide after 3 years. Her friend Anuradha, fought for justice with her parents, all of which gave no result in the end. It is a shame that the Girhotra family had to endure all this for 19 long years. In Ruchika’s Case and many more like her, we have failed miserably on all fronts, Police, judicial, administrative, political, moral, and social. In India, people belonging to higher class, mostly try to mislead the procedure of Law, so the need of the hour is to ban the interference of politics in the matters of police and judiciary.
No comments:
Post a Comment