The Punjab and Haryana High Court agreed to grant adequate time to DGP S.P.S. Rathore’s counsel to argue his petition seeking anticipatory bail in two fresh FIRs, levelling serious criminal charges against him in the molestation case.
Appearing for Rathore, whose petition challenges a Panchkula session court order denying him anticipatory bail, his lawyer and wife Abha submitted before the court that she needed sufficient time to present her case, and that the matter could not be wound up in a short duration.
“I require time at length to argue my case,” Abha submitted before Justice Sabina when the 67-year-old former IPS officer’s case came up for hearing.
Granting her plea, Justice Sabina posted the petition for hearing later in the day.
While Rathore was not present in the court, the lawyer for the victim’s family, Pankaj Bhardwaj, and Panchkula Superintendent of Police Manish Chaudhary were seated in the court room.
The two fresh FIRs, registered on the basis of complaints by the girl’s father and brother, accuse Rathore of committing serious offences including attempt to murder, wrongful confinement, giving false evidence and doctoring the post-mortem report of the girl, who committed suicide 3 years after being molested by the former IPS officer.
Arguing Rathore’s case, Abha alleged on Monday in the High Court that the cases had been registered under media pressure against her husband.
