Former Haryana DGP SPS Rathore, against whom fresh cases involving serious charges have been registered, was today granted interim bail till January 7 by a local sessions court hearing the Ruchika molestation case.
The order was passed by District and Sessions Judge S P Singh after hearing Abha Rathore, the lawyer-wife of 67-year-old Rathore, and Pankaj Bharadwaj, counsel for the family of Ruchika Girhotra, who committed suicide after being molested by the former IPS officer.
While issuing notice to the state for January 6, the Judge observed, "If the petitioner (Rathore) is arrested during this period, he will be released on interim bail".
The cases will come up for hearing on January 7.
Arguing for Rathore's anticipatory bail, Abha countered the charges of slapping false cases against Ruchika's brother, attempting to murder him and doctoring the post-mortem report of the girl.
The FIRs were registered after Ruchika's father Subhash Chander Girhotra and brother Ashu filed two complaints.
Rathore was sentenced to six months imprisonment and a fine of Rs 1000 by the trial court on December 21 for molesting Ruchika who later committed suicide following alleged harassment by him.
Abha argued in the court that Girhotra, his son Ashu and the family of Madhu Parkash, complainant in the case, wanted to become "heroes and heroines in the eyes of the public. Madhu Parkash has fabricated and interpolated facts".
The charge under 306 IPC (abetment to suicide) being levelled now by Ruchika's brother has been settled at the level of the Supreme Court, she said and submitted a copy of the apex court judgement.
"After 16/17 years the Girhotra and Parkash families are raising this issue," she said, adding that the two fresh FIRs lodged this week against Rathore mostly had bailable offences, barring a few which are nor bailable.
Countering Abha Rathore's arguments, Girhotra family lawyer Pankaj Bhardwaj alleged outside the court, "To drive a girl to commit suicide after such an incident ... And after 9 years the FIR sees the light of the day, what kind of justice or system are you talking about?"
He told reporters that Rathore had allegedly "managed everything" with the help of the bureaucracy or the political set up.
