Hearing in Ruchika case adjourned after attack on Rathore

CHANDIGARH: A local court today adjourned the hearing on S P S Rathore's appeal against his conviction in the Ruchika molestation case to February 10 in the wake of an attack on the ex-Haryana police chief.

The hearing was put off after the former Haryana DGP, who was stabbed outside the court premises at lunch-break today, returned for post-lunch hearing with bandaged wounds.

The court of Additional District and Sessions Judge Raj Shekhar Attri had this morning commenced the three-day hearing on the appeal filed by Rathore against the six-month sentence and a fine of Rs 1,000 and on CBI's plea seeking enhancement of the punishment.

Additional District and Sessions Judge Raj Shekhar Attri had last month fixed three days from today for hearing the appeal filed by Rathore against the sentence awarded to him on December 21 last year by the CBI Judge J S Sidhu who had held the former IPS officer guilty of molesting a budding tennis player Ruchika Girhotra at Panchkula in Haryana near here on August 12, 1990.

68-year old Rathore, who was held guilty under section 354 IPC (molestation) by the CBI court, was attacked by a youth outside the court complex today after the Judge had adjourned the in-camera proceedings for lunch.

The post-lunch hearing in the court was delayed as Rathore was taken to a local hospital for medical aid after the attack by a youth who was standing among the photo and other journalists.

The Judge commenced the post-lunch proceedings after Rathore arrived in the court with bandaged wounds amidst tight security arrangement made by the Chandigarh Police which threw a security ring around the former Haryana DGP.