Haryana ex-top cop seeks bail in molestation case

YAMUNANAGAR - Fearing arrest after he was booked for molesting a woman in May 2002, former inspector general of Haryana Police M.S. Ahlawat Thursday moved a court here for anticipatory bail.

The bail plea was filed in the court of District and Sessions Judge R.C. Godara, who scheduled a hearing for June 14.

Ahlawat’s lawyer said he was confident of getting bail from the court. “There are serious doubts in the complaint of the woman. If the police was not listening to her during the last eight years then why didn’t she approach the court?” he asked.

Haryana Police Wednesday constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the molestation case registered against Ahlawat - eight years after the woman lawyer filed her complaint.

Ahlawat was booked Tuesday following a 2002 complaint of molestation and intimidation by Harvinder Kaur, who lives in this town, about 100 km from Chandigarh. She alleged that she had been sexually harassed by Ahlawat, then the superintendent of police of Yamunanagar district.

In her complaint, Harvinder said that she had gone to meet him in connection with one of her court cases in May 2002. Ahlawat insisted she come to his residence and sought sexual favours from her.

In protest, she also sat outside the office of the state police chief and demanded strict action against the official.

At that time, an inquiry was conducted by a senior official of the Haryana Police and he recommended another departmental inquiry against Ahlawat.

Recently, a court had upheld the conviction of former state police chief S.P.S. Rathore for molesting teenager Ruchika Girhotra in 1990. She later committed suicide.

Rathore, who had initially been sentenced to six months, was awarded 18 months rigorous imprisonment and is currently lodged in Chandigarh’s Burail jail.