Rs 1000 i.e less than $25, and imprisonment of just six month ; What do you think ? what is this ? This is the punishment which is given for a crime of molestation of 14 years Tennis player Ruchika Girotra,by Top Police officer of DGP rank by Indian Court, after 19 years of incident. This is all about Justice in India.A court in Chandigarh, Haryana, has sentenced a former top police chief to just six months of "rigorous imprisonment" and Rs. 1000 (about $25) in fine after he was found guilty of molesting a 14-year-old girl in 1990.
The girl, Ruchika Girotra, an aspiring tennis player, committed suicide in 1993 after being allegedly harassed by S P S Rathore, a former director general of police of Haryana. As if the sentence was not light enough Rathore was allowed bail by Judge J S Sidhu with the possibilities of an appeal in a higher court.
At the time of pronouncement of verdict, Rathore and his advocate wife Abha Rathore were present in the court room.
Madhu Parkash, mother of Ruchika's friend, had approached the Punjab and Haryana High court in 1997, seeking a probe into the incident after a police report had stated that prima facie there was a case against Rathore.
Later, the investigation into the case was handed over to the CBI in 1998 and the trial was held in a Patiala court.
The case was transferred to the CBI special magistrate here by the Punjab and Haryana high court which had issued directions for holding day-to-day hearing and completion of trial within a month.
"I am elated that Rathore has been awarded six months of RI, but at the same time I am saddened that it took so long for the court to decide on the matter. Had the verdict against Rathore been pronounced earlier, I think Ruchika would not have committed suicide," Madhu told reporters outside the court.
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