months imprisonment and fine of Rs. 1000 for

molesting a teen……..who was driven to commit

suicide 

S S Rathore, (who retired as Director General of Police, Haryana) then a senior police officer and President of the Haryana Lawn Tennis Association molested Ruchika Girhotra, a 14-year-old tennis player in August 1990. She committed suicide in 1993.The following is the sequence of events:

AUG 11, 1990
S S Rathore, then Deputy Inspector General of Police, Haryana and President of the Haryana Lawn Tennis Association visits Ruchika Girhotra’s house at noon.
He persuades her father, S C Girhotra, a bank manager, not to send Ruchika to Canada.
Promises special training for the teenager.
Asks her father to tell Ruchika to visit his office-cum residence the next day.

AUG 12, 1990
Ruchika and her friend Aradhana visit Rathore’s office-cum-residence in Panchkula (10 km from Chandigarh).
Rathore asks Aradhana to fetch the coach.
Aradhana returns to find Rathore molesting Ruchika.
On seeing her, Rathore lets go Ruchika, who rushes out of the room.
Rathore asks Aradhana to talk to Ruchika and that “he would do whatever she would say”.
Considering Rathore’s powerful position, the two teen age girls decide not to talk about the incident to their parents,

AUG 14, 1990
Ruchika and Aradhana go to the tennis court.
Rathore calls Ruchika again to his office.
This time, the girls decide to share it with the parents.
Ruchika confides in Aradhana’s mother, Madhu Parkash.

AUG 15, 1990
Both families, along with parents of other trainees of the Haryana Lawn Tennis Association hand over a written complaint to Home Secretary J S Duggal.
The Chief Minister marks it to then DGP R R Singh.

AUG 26, 1990
The DGP summons Rathore.
In retaliation, Rathore arranges 45-50 hoodlums who raise slogans against Ruchika and smash the window panes of her house.

SEPT 3, 1990
DGP’s report finds the allegations true, recommends registration of case and investigation by CID.

MARCH 11, 1991
Change of government brings in a new DGP, RK Hooda,
He too recommends departmental action against Rathore.1992
Government agrees that an FIR can be registered against Rathore.
The case is transferred to the Chief Secretary.

AUG 12, 1992
First of the six auto theft FIRs is registered against Ruchika’s brother, Ashu.

OCT 23, 1993
 Ruchika’s brother, Ashu is arrested, kept in custody for two months.
He is beaten up in custody and one day taken to his house, where Ruchika is told that her father would meet the same fate if she did not withdraw the complaint.

DEC 28, 1993
Ruchika consumes poison, dies next day.
Her brother Ashu is released.JAN 1994
Government withdraws all charges against Rathore.

APRIL 1997
Ruchika’s brother Ashu is discharged from all theft cases.

NOV 1997
Aradhana’s mother files a petition in the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
A year later, the High Court directs CBI to conduct an inquiry.DEC 1999
The Supreme Court upholds the order of High Court.

JAN 2000
 The CBI files charge sheet against Rathore, recommends his removal in the interest of “free and fair deposition”.

JULY 2002
Rathore retires as DGP.

NOV 2009
The Case is transferred to CBI Chandigarh.

DEC 11, 2009
On Monday, 21^st December 2009 the special CBI court in Chandigarh sentences , S.P.S. Rathore to six months imprisonment and fine of Rs. 1,000.

The family was harassed so much that after Ruchika’s deatgm it shifted from Panchkula to an undisclosed location.

Authors note 

Ø  What is surprising is that not only successive governments did not take any action against Rathore, but promoted him.

Ø  During the pendency of the case, Rathore was promoted by successive governments in Haryana, till he became DGP and retired in 2002 as the Director General of Police.

Ø  He was also awarded the Police Medal in 1985.

Ø  According to Lawyer Pankaj Bhardwaj, who has been fighting the case free of cost for the last 13 years. “Rathore’s atrocities over Ruchika’s family forced the innocent girl to commit suicide”.

Ø  Only now the Home ministry has issued show cause notices on S.P.S. Rathore, in an attempt to strip off the medal and also for reduction of his pension owing to the gruesome crime he committed. 

Chief Justice of India

I hate people who are now saying that they tried to help in the case, but at that time remained silent spectators.They could then have leaked the information to the media and appropriate action would have been taken.

Does not this case call for suo moto action ?

This is my humble request to you.. 

Dr. Binoy Gupta
Retd. Chief Commissioner of Income Tax