Police not to arrest Rathore 'hastily' despite criticism

Even as the Haryana police made it clear that they would not arrest the Ruchika molestation case convict former Haryana DGP SPS Rathore, reports were that the CBI might take over the case in a day or two.

Panchkula Superintendent of Police Maneesh Chaudhry, who is also a member of the Special Investigating Team (SIT) to probe into the freshly registered three cases, told HT that since CBI had been handed over the cases, there were no plans of the Haryana police to arrest Rathore.

Meanwhile, senior police officials held that even CBI may not "hastily" arrest Rathore, despite a Panchkula court having dismissed his anticipatory bail pleas in two FIRs registered here on December 29, 2009.

Rathore was booked under non-bailable charges like attempt to murder, criminal intimidation, forging evidence, wrongful confinement, fabricating false evidence and criminal conspiracy.

The SP added that since the police investigation were still under process and the evidence pertaining to these FIRs were still being collected, they would not arrested Rathore. "The CBI would take over this case in the next few days and we do not want to do anything that might sabotage their investigation process," Chaudhry said.

Meanwhile, it may be recalled that while declining anticipatory bail to Rathore in fresh cases registered against him, the additional district and sessions judge Sanjeev Jindal had on Friday observed his crime had a ``spine-chilling’’ impact and the conduct of the state judiciary officers and police, baffling and disgusting.

Rathore was convicted of molesting teenager Ruchika 19 years back and sentenced to six months' rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs 1,000 by a special CBI court at Chandigarh on December 21, 2009.