CBI pitches for stricter jail term for ex-DGP
Following public outcry on the Ruchika molestation case, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday decided to file an appeal for the enhancement of S P S Rathore’s jail term and said it was examining the possibility of charging him with abetment to suicide.
“It is felt that six months of imprisonment and a fine of Rs 1,000 are far inadequate especially when the chief judicial magistrate, Chandigarh, in his judgement concluded that the offence has been proved to the hilt,” CBI spokesman Harsh Bahal said.
He said the CBI held consultations with the Home and Law Ministries after which it was decided to file an appeal in the competent court for the enhancement of sentence to Rathore under 354 IPC (molestation).
The maximum sentence, according to the law, is two years of imprisonment and a fine. As far as the applicability of Section 306, relating to abetment to suicide in the Ruchika case, is concerned, legal experts of the CBI are examining the issue to suggest further course of action.
“The advice of the Solicitor General of India will also be taken before finalising the view of the CBI on the issue,” the spokesman said. The judgement said: “The allegations against the convict are proved in the present case.” The allegations are of moral turpitude, it said, noting that such allegations are serious in nature, particularly when the victim is a minor.
“In such circumstances, a liberal view cannot be taken against the convict. However, the prolonged trial and the age of the convict can be considered while passing the order on the quantum of the sentence.
