Rathore free on bail as CBI drops new cases
Former Haryana DGP S.P.S. Rathore, serving a 18-month sentence in the Ruchika Girhotra molestation case, was granted bail by the Supreme Court Thursday after the CBI virtually decided to close its investigation in all three fresh cases against him.
This was a major relief to Rathore a day after the CBI filed closure reports in two cases — one on harassment, torture and illegal detention of her brother; the other on fabrication of Ruchika’s suicide note — before a court in Ambala.
Additional solicitor-general Haren Rawal, appearing for the CBI, indicated the agency might close the third case on “abetment to suicide” as it could not gather any evidence that Rathore had abetted the 14-year-old girl’s suicide three years after her molestation.
A closure report in the third FIR will be filed in the trial court after taking permission from the Punjab and Haryana high court, which restrained the CBI from filing the chargesheet.
As the CBI’s main grounds to oppose bail was that he could tamper with evidence, with the agency not going forward with the fresh cases, a bench of Justices P. Sathasivam and B.S. Chauhan allowed his petition and ordered his release on bail.
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