Ruchika case: Chautala defends himself, blames Cong for shielding Rathore
Chautala apportioned the blame on Cong govt led by Bansi Lal and Bhajan Lal alleging it was they, who shielded Rathore.
By Agencies |
NEW DELHI: After relentless pursuits by the media, former Haryana chief minister Om Prakash Chautala finally came out to defend himself in the Ruchika Girhotra molestation case saying his government had taken immediate action against former top cop S.P.S. Rathore when a complaint was lodged against him 19 years ago. Chautala politicised the case by passing the blame on to the Congress.
"S.P.S. Rathore was chargesheeted during my government. Back then, when the complaint came, an FIR was immediately lodged. Yet my government was not satisfied with the action. Therefore, we ordered a departmental inquiry into the case," Chautala said at a press conference here Friday.
Instead, Chautala apportioned the blame on Congress government led by Bansi Lal and Bhajan Lal alleging that it was they, who shielded Rathore.
"He (Rathore) was made DGP during Bhajan Lal's term. He was never promoted during my tenure. He was not given any special provisions. The moment the CBI report came before us, we suspended him. And this was the maximum we could do as the matter was subjudice. If I had acted further, it would have been considered contempt of court. The High Court and the Supreme Court had also granted him relief, so why should I have interfered in the court's judgments?" Chautala said.
Chautala said he, as chief minister, did not recommend Rathore for President's medal and that his name was forwarded for the award as part of a routine bureaucratic process.
"I did not recommended him for the medal. That was done as part of a routine work by officers. The issue (recommendation) did not come to my notice," he said.
On Thursday, Ruchika's father S.C. Girhotra had blamed Chautala and the entire establishment in Haryana for the harassment that drove his daughter to suicide and forced his family to go underground.
"Chautala was the main person behind him. Rathore used to carry out all his (Chautala's) wrong deeds. Chautala was at his back all the while. Even after R.R. Singh (the then Haryana DGP in 1990) gave his report recommending registration of a case against Rathore, the government took no action," Girhotra said in Chandigarh.
Fourteen-year-old Ruchika was molested Aug 12, 1990 and committed suicide three years later. Chautala was the chief minister of Haryana between March and June 1991.
"S.P.S. Rathore was chargesheeted during my government. Back then, when the complaint came, an FIR was immediately lodged. Yet my government was not satisfied with the action. Therefore, we ordered a departmental inquiry into the case," Chautala said at a press conference here Friday.
Instead, Chautala apportioned the blame on Congress government led by Bansi Lal and Bhajan Lal alleging that it was they, who shielded Rathore.
"He (Rathore) was made DGP during Bhajan Lal's term. He was never promoted during my tenure. He was not given any special provisions. The moment the CBI report came before us, we suspended him. And this was the maximum we could do as the matter was subjudice. If I had acted further, it would have been considered contempt of court. The High Court and the Supreme Court had also granted him relief, so why should I have interfered in the court's judgments?" Chautala said.
Chautala said he, as chief minister, did not recommend Rathore for President's medal and that his name was forwarded for the award as part of a routine bureaucratic process.
"I did not recommended him for the medal. That was done as part of a routine work by officers. The issue (recommendation) did not come to my notice," he said.
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On Thursday, Ruchika's father S.C. Girhotra had blamed Chautala and the entire establishment in Haryana for the harassment that drove his daughter to suicide and forced his family to go underground.
"Chautala was the main person behind him. Rathore used to carry out all his (Chautala's) wrong deeds. Chautala was at his back all the while. Even after R.R. Singh (the then Haryana DGP in 1990) gave his report recommending registration of a case against Rathore, the government took no action," Girhotra said in Chandigarh.
Fourteen-year-old Ruchika was molested Aug 12, 1990 and committed suicide three years later. Chautala was the chief minister of Haryana between March and June 1991.
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