Rathore’s bail plea verdict in the afternoon

A local court today deferred till afternoon the pronouncement of verdict on the anticipatory bail plea of former Haryana DGP SPS Rathore in the two fresh FIRs filed against him in connection with the molestation case.

Additional District and Sessions Judge Sanjiv Jindal had yesterday reserved his verdict till today after hearing the arguments of 67-year old Rathore’s lawyer-wife Abha, the victim’s family lawyer Pankaj Bhardwaj, accused ASI Sewa Singh’s counsel Ajay Jain and the Public Prosecutor.

Besides Rathore, ASI Sewa Singh, who had investigated the auto theft case relating to the victim’s brother, has also sought anticipatory bail in the two fresh FIRs registered on the complaints of the victim’s father and brother for various offences including attempt to murder, wrongful confinement and forging a document.

Abha has sought anticipatory bail in the two cases registered on December 29, saying the charge under 306 IPC (abetment to suicide) made out in the third FIR registered on January 5 has already been settled at the level of the Supreme Court.

The father and brother of the victim, who was molested by the former DGP of Haryana in 1990, had on December 29 last filed two complaints against Rathore and others in connection with the post mortem proceedings and booking of Ashu in false cases.

The complaint said the inquest proceedings conducted by the Sector 6 Police Station at the PGI in Chandigarh, where the victim was taken after she attempted suicide on December 28, 1993 and died the following day, was without any jurisdiction as the Haryana Police had no locus standi to conduct the proceedings in Chandigarh which is a Union Territory.

The police party from Panchkula in Haryana went to the PGI in Chandigarh and conducted the inquest proceedings and got the post mortem done.

The victim's brother in his complaint said that seven FIRs for different offences, including auto theft, were registered against him in a bid to victimize him after the molestation of his sister.

Rathore, who retired in 2002, was awarded a six months jail term by a CBI court when he was IGP.