Chandigarh, Dec 22 (DHNS): Nemesis and the law caught up with a former Harayana director-general of police here on Monday when he was sentenced to six months in prison by a CBI court for molesting a budding 14-year-old tennis player 19 years ago. 

That incident and other subsequent instances of harassment had scarred the girl’s psyche so much that three years later she took her own life.

The verdict was pronounced by CBI special magistrate J S Siddhu against S P S Rathore. The magistrate also imposed a fine of Rs 1,000 on the retired IPS officer.

Ruchika was molested by Rathore, who was then the president of Haryana Tennis Association, at his office-cum-residence at Panchkula on August 12, 1990.

Harassment

The girl committed suicide three years later, on December 28, 1993, as Rathore allegedly harassed her family. Rathore also implicated Radhika’s brother in several theft cases but he was later acquitted. Ruchika herself was shunted out from school for “indiscipline.”

The victim’s closest friend, Reemu, then 13, and the sole witness had come from Australia, where she is settled now, to be present in the court. It was only because of the persistent efforts of Radhika’s parents — Anand Prakash and Madhu Prakash—who followed the case against Rathore in the labyrinths of officialdom and later courts that Rathore could be brought to justice.

“We are happy that the guilty has been punished. But the quantum of sentence is too short,” said Madhu. She also regretted that had the verdict come earlier, Ruchika would not have taken the extreme step. Ruchika’s sister Reemu said: “The incident that happened 19 years ago still haunts me. It took the life of my best friend. She was a budding tennis player and could have been a national player.”

Rathore, who retired in July 2002, was present in the court  with his wife Abha, a lawyer who was defending him in the case. Rathore showed no signs of remorse as he told the waiting media: “I will file an appeal. I will finally be a winner because truth will prevail.”

Earlier, a government inquiry indicted Rathore but no action was taken. Later, the family approached the High Court which ordered a CBI probe into the case in 2000.