The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Friday adjourned till May 31 the hearing on the bail petition of the former Haryana police chief, S.P.S. Rathore, who has been sentenced to 18 months' rigorous imprisonment for molesting a teenager in 1990.
His lawyer-wife, Abha, filed a review petition on Wednesday, a day after he was sentenced by the sessions court and lodged in the high-security Burail jail here. She alleged the appellate court had passed the order “under media pressure.”
The matter was adjourned as CBI lawyers sought time to file their reply to Rathore's appeal. “We could not file the reply today [on Friday] as we were not yet provided a copy of the petition filed by Rathore,” said CBI lawyer Ajay Kaushik. “We will file our reply to the bail application and the revision petition, and also argue on merit on Monday.”
Rathore sought bail on medical grounds, saying he had undergone a heart surgery. But the CBI lawyers said, “We have well-equipped medical facilities and trained doctors in the jail. So this plea, seeking bail on medical grounds, is totally illogical. We will strongly oppose this on Monday,” Mr. Kaushik said.
As the High Court is closing for summer vacation on May 29 for one month, Rathore's case will be taken up by a vacation Bench.