Orders for Rathore’s release yet to be received: jail officials

CHANDIGARH - Officials at the high-security Burail Jail here are yet to receive orders to release tainted cop S.P.S. Rathore, who was granted bail by the Supreme Court Thursday.

Rathore is currently serving an 18-month jail sentence for molesting teenager Ruchika Girhotra in 1990. He is lodged in Burail Jail since May 25.

“So far, we have not got any orders from the Supreme Court. We have to follow a proper procedure before releasing Rathore. We will start the formalities of releasing him once we get the orders,” Additional Inspector General (Prisons) Sunil Bhatia said.

Giving Rathore bail, the apex court bench of Justice P.Sathasivam and Justice B.S. Chauhan directed Rathore not to leave the country without specific permission of the court.

Rathore, 69, who retired as director general of police in Haryana in 2002, was convicted of molesting 14-year-old Ruchika by a district and sessions court of Chandigarh May 25 this year. The teen-aged girl committed suicide in 1993 due to the harassment.

On Wednesday, having failed to gather any concrete proof against Rathore, the CBI submitted a closure report before a court in Ambala, 45 km from here, on the two FIRs that were registered against Rathore Dec 29 on the complaint of Ruchika’s father and brother.

He was booked on non-bailable charges like attempt to murder, criminal intimidation, forging evidence, wrongful confinement, fabricating false evidence, custodial torture and criminal conspiracy.

However, a third case in which Rathore was booked for abetting Ruchika to commit suicide is still pending in the Punjab and Haryana High Court.