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Too little, too late: Rathore sentencing evokes outrage

Chandigarh/New Delhi: The six-month jail term awarded to former Haryana director general of police (DGP) S.P.S. Rathore for molesting a 14-year-old girl almost two decades ago that led her to commit suicide caused outrage among activists and figured in parliament Tuesday with everyone saying the sentence was too light. Raising the issue of Rathore’s light sentence for the molestation of Ruchika Girhotra in 1990, CPI-M MP Brinda Karat said in the Rajya Sabha: "A criminal who committed that crime in police uniform and escaped justice for 19 years was rewarded with promotion after promotion. And, 19 years later this criminal has finally been found guilty. What is the punishment - just six months." "And the day he was convicted, he was out on bail within 10 minutes. Isn’t it a shame for all of us... how long can we tolerate this kind of action. It reveals deep infirmities in our system of delivery of justice," the parliamentarian said. Karat sought a fast-track justice system in sexual harassment cases involving minors as the Rajya Sabha echoed with voices of "shame shame". On Monday, a special CBI court had held Rathore guilty of molesting Ruchika in Panchkula Aug 12, 1990, and sentenced him to a six-month prison term and penalty of Rs.1,000. The teen committed suicide three years after the incident. Ruchika’s friend Aradhana Gupta, whose family fought for 19 years to get justice for Ruchika, Tuesday said she was happy that the issue was raised in parliament. Aradhana said the sentence was too little and that she and her parents, Anand and Madhu Prakash, would go to a higher court for justice. "The loss of Ruchika is the biggest tragedy of my life and the six-month jail is nothing before it. But I am happy that today (Tuesday) this issue of little punishment rocked the Rajya Sabha and now we hope that this case could reach its logical end," Aradhana told IANS. Aradhana was the lone witness to the molestation incident in Sector 6 in Chandigarh. She specially flew to India from Sydney in Australia to be with her family when the judgment in the case came. Talking about the motivation to fight this case, she said: "I just do not want any other innocent girl to fall prey before any senior official. This feeling kept me going for the last many years." Recalling the trauma suffered by Ruchika, she said, "Whenever she went out of her house, goons followed her and passed vulgar comments. She was expelled from school without giving any reason and no other school would give her admission. The police picked her brother from home several times and beat him mercilessly." "Ruchika spent most of her time weeping but there was nobody to help her. The state government and police were shielding the accused." The Prakashs’ fought for Ruchika’s cause - holding out against open intimidation by Rathore, his official machinery and even goons - all wanting them to withdraw the case. "We have been harassed all these years for pursuing this case for Ruchika. The conviction has given some hope even though the punishment is less," said Madhu Prakash. Rathore was an inspector general of police at that time and was charged of molesting the minor girl in his office as president of the Haryana Lawn Tennis Association (HLTA) in Panchkula. Both girls used to play tennis there. "We will seek more punishment for him. People who shielded him all these years should also held guilty. All his perks, positions and even his pension should be withdrawn," Anand Prakash told IANS at his residence Tuesday. Ruchika committed suicide three years after the incident in December 1993 following continuous mental harassment of her and her family to pressurize them to withdraw the case against the all-powerful Indian Police Service (IPS) officer. Her brother was slapped with car theft cases and harassed by the police. This forced Ruchika’s family to shift out of Panchkula after her death and settle down in neighbouring Punjab. Her father was a bank manager when the incident happened. "Though Ruchika’s father is not satisfied with the sentence but still he was happy when I told him about the court’s verdict. He and his son Ashu don’t want to come out in the open. They have suffered a lot," Anand Prakash said. Lawyers and activists are seeking more punishment for Rathore. They said that Rathore should also be booked and held guilty for abetment to suicide (section 306 of the Indian Penal Code) as it was his actions that drove the girl to commit suicide by consuming poison in 1993. "It is a heinous crime by a public servant that led a teenaged girl to commit suicide. The accused should also be booked under Section 306 (of IPC, abetment to suicide)," Ranjan Lakhanpal, a leading human rights activist and lawyer based in Chandigarh, told IANS. Ranjana Kumari, chairperson of the Centre for Social Research, told IANS: "I am shocked. This case shows that the high and mighty can twist the arms of the system as per their whims and fancies. It poses a serious question on accountability of the judiciary." Rathore has said he would appeal against the judgment.

                                                                                                               
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