The CBI today filed closure reports in two of the three fresh cases registered against Rathore by the family of Ruchika Girhotra, molested by him in 1990.
In a partial reprieve to disgraced ex-Haryana police chief S P S Rathore, the CBI today filed closure reports in two of the three fresh cases registered against him by the family of Ruchika Girhotra, molested by him in 1990.
The three cases involve doctoring of post-mortem report, filed by Ruchika's father S C Girhotra, and a torture case filed by her brother Ashu, who has also accused 68-year-old Rathore in a third case of abetment to suicide of the girl.
While the CBI filed the closure reports in two cases before a special magistrate here, the probe in the abetment to suicide case has been stayed by the Punjab and Haryana high court.
The fresh cases were registered in December last year after a public outcry when Rathore was sentenced to six months imprisonment for molesting 14-year-old Ruchika. However, the CBI challenged the verdict in a sessions court in Chandigarh which enhanced the sentence to 18 months jail term for him.
Rathore is at present in prison.
The CBI rebutted eight charges made by Ruchika's father and four allegations made by Ashu who claimed that he was taken home in a semi-nude condition and that false cases were slapped on him about auto-theft at behest of Rathore.
The court admitted the two closure reports and issued notices summoning the father-son due on November 25.
In the first case, the father alleged in his complaint to the police that after his daughter consumed poison on December 28, 1993, three years after she was molested, he was forced by Rathore, who was the then Inspector General (Telecom), to take her to PGI hospital at Chandigarh and at the time of post-mortem, the magistrate was not called by the police.
In its report, the CBI claimed that the allegations could not be substantiated "as per the documentary evidence and oral testimony of witnesses".
"The probe disclosed that Ruchika had consumed poison in the morning of December 28, 1993 at her home in Panchkula and that she was taken to PGI hospital by Girhotra and his second wife Veena of their own," the closure report said.
The CBI claimed that the victim was first taken to a nursing home at Sector-8 in Panchkula by her father and the stepmother from where she was referred to PGI Chandigarh hospital as the general hospital in the area was undergoing construction.
At PGI Chandigarh hospital, the name of Ruchika was mentioned as "Ruby" by her father and during investigation, the CBI said it was found to be her nickname — a finding which has also been corroborated by other family members.
Girhotra had claimed in his complaint that Rathore put pressure for conduct of the post-mortem in a different hospital and not in the PGI so that he could fudge the report.
He also claimed that her her body was not released by the hospital authorities and that he had to spent the whole night outside the mortuary.
The CBI found that no post-mortem was conducted in the PGI hospital during that period on account of winter holidays and the bodies were taken to a government hospital in Sector-6 of Chandigarh.
The post-mortem report was signed properly by Girhotra but with a different signature, the report claimed.
The CBI recorded statements of some of relatives of Girhotra who said that the father returned home after the doctors informed him about the death and that the body would be released the next day only.
On the alleged false cases against Ashu, the CBI claimed to have found during investigation that his name had been revealed by one of his alleged accomplices — Sandeep Verma.
Ashu had claimed in his complaint that he was kept in illegal detention for 45 days at the instance of Rathore.
The CBI claimed in its closure report that during 1992-93, there was a surge in auto theft cases registered in Pacnhkula against unknown persons.
Sandeep Verma was picked up by a special squad of Haryana Police and had allegedly revealed the name of Ashu during interrogation prompting the cops to take action, it said.
Ashu was arrested on October 25, 1993 and produced in a court the next day which remanded him to police custody till November two that year.
The CBI has also recorded the statement of the advocate who was fighting the case of Ashu and Sandeep.
On the allegation that he was paraded naked by the police, the CBI claimed that none of the witnesses and neighbours corroborated his statement on the alleged incident that took place when he was handcuffed and taken to his house for some recoveries.
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