Facing imminent arrest following filing of fresh FIRs against him in the Ruchika case,former Haryana DGP SPS Rathore on Wednesday moved an anticipatory bail plea before the sessions court in Panchkula which did not grant him any immediate relief. Abha,the lawyer-wife of 67-year-old Rathore,submitted before District and Sessions Judge S P Singh that "fabricated,twisted and forged" facts were being presented by the family of Ruchika Girhotra in connection with the molestation case,in which the former IPS officer has got six months imprisonment. In a 40-page petition,she alleged that her husband was facing a "nothing but a trial by the media" and sought protection of the court. To a question by the judge on whether she was in possession of the copies of the fresh FIRs,Abha replied in the packed courtroom,"We came to know of the FIRs and the fresh charges through the media. We want protection of this court in view of the media trial and distortion of facts." After hearing the arguments,the judge first adjourned the proceedings,saying he would have to go through the details and later issued notice to the state for a reply on January one. The court did not grant Rathore any immediate relief on his plea. The noose around the former Haryana top cop found guilty of molesting 14-year-old Ruchika,who later committed suicide,was tightened on Tuesday night with the police registering two FIRs and moves were afoot to file a fresh case of abetment of suicide. Haryana police has registered two FIRs on the basis of complaints by Ruchika's father Subhash Chander Girhotra and her brother Ashu regarding alleged tampering of the post-mortem report by police and harassment of Ashu including attempt to murder him. Parallely,the Union Home and Law Ministries are also considering appealing against the trial court's verdict in the case to seek enhanced punishment for Rathore. Meanwhile,Ruchika's father and their lawyer Prakash Bharadwaj are expected to meet Home Minister P Chidambaram in Delhi to discuss the case. They will be accompanied by Anand Prakash,father of Ruchika's friend Aradhana.
