Ruchika case: High court issues notice to CBI on Rathore's petitions

Chandigarh: Without giving any interim protection, the Punjab and Haryana high court today issued notice to the CBI for January 18 on disgraced former Haryana DGP SPS Rathore's petitions seeking anticipatory bail in FIRs containing serious criminal charges.

He also sought quashing of a third FIR which charges him with abettment to suicide in the case.

Justice Sabina issued the notices after brief arguments, during which CBI said that they needed a week's time to file a reply, since the three FIRs had been registered only last evening after the cases were transferred to them from the Haryana police, which had entrusted the probe to a Special Investigation Team (SIT).

Rathore's lawyer-wife Abha sought interim protection till the time CBI files its reply, but the court did not issue any direction on this.

"Let them bring the SIT report with the statements recorded so far. If anything is against us, we are ready to face the charges," she told the court where the disgraced former IPS officer, who was awarded a lighter six months' imprisonment last month by a CBI court here, was not present.

CBI's counsel assistant solicitor general and special public prosecutor Anmol Rattan Sidhu said that in the FIRs the charges against the former DGP are like a reign of terror (having been let loose by Rathore).

"We registered the FIR last evening. Investigations are yet to start. We need a week's time to file the replies," Sidhu said.