New Delhi, Dec 23 (IANS) The National Commission for Women (NCW) Wednesday said a committee of advocates would be set up to examine the Ruchika Girhotra molestation case. It also asked the Haryana government to appeal against the six-month prison term given to former top cop S.P.S. Rathore, who had molested the teenager 19 years ago.
“The recent judgment convicting Rathore to six months (in jail) for molestation has been a matter of concern to the commission and the commission expresses its deep anguish. It is also learnt that the charge of abetment to suicide was withdrawn by the police,” NCW chairperson Girija Vyas told reporters at a press conference here.

“In order to get the actual facts, NCW has decided to set up a committee of advocates to examine the sequence of events since the complaint was made by the complainant (Ruchika). It will also establish whether there was any attempt to scuttle the investigation in an effort to hush up the matter,” she said.

The committee will give its report in two months.

A special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court in Chandigarh had Monday held Rathore, former Haryana director general of police (DGP), guilty of molesting 14-year-old Ruchika in Panchkula town Aug 12, 1990 and sentenced him to a six-month prison term. The budding tennis player had committed suicide three years after the incident.

Vyas added that she has “taken up the issue with the chief minister of Haryana(Bhupinder Singh Hooda) and requested him to explore the possibility of filing an appeal against this recent judgment”.

“We are also thinking of pushing for civil damages for the victim’s relatives. The compensation won’t bring the girl back but at least it would provide some relief for those who are fighting the case for the last so many years,” she said.

But lawyers and activists had felt that Rathore has been let off lightly by the court.

Many felt he should be booked and held guilty for abetment to suicide (section 306 of the Indian Penal Code) as it was his action that drove the girl to commit suicide by consuming poison in December 1993.

The NCW chairperson also said she recently met the union law minister and home minister and requested them to get the sexual assault bill, which has been sent by the commission, to be passed by parliament at the earliest.

“The bill contains strict punishment for such offences,” she added.