Thursday, December 24, 2009

Travesty of our Criminal Justice System!

Ruchika Girhotra was 15 year old in 1990. I too was 15 year old in 1990 busy in my studies for class-X board exams. There was no cable TV and no Internet at that time. So I was not aware of the ghastly circumstances that she passed through in August 1990. I heard her name 19 years after that incident. Most of my fellow countrymen will be ignorant about her likewise till two days back.

Ruchika committed suicide in 1993. But she was again murdered by the criminal justice system of our country this week.

Ruchika, a 15 year old promising tennis player, was lured by a senior police official into his room and molested. This officer named SPS Rathore (an as..ole) was posted as a DIG and was also the president of Haryana Lawn Tennis Association. It was August 12th, 1990. Ruchika filed a written complaint on August 16th. But this as..ole Rathore harassed the family of Ruchika. Finally Ruchika committed suicide three years after that incident.

Our criminal justice system took 19 years to pronounce the verdict that Rathore was indeed guilty! But he was given a sentence of just 6 months in jail. I was completely aghast to see Rathore coming out of the court smiling and joined by his wife.

Now this case will take another 20 years in higher court. By that time, Rathore will be gone from this world.

Ruchika's friend Aradhana has fought a lonely battle against this powerful Rathore till now. But with the widespread media coverage about this news, entire country will stand behind Aradhana and the family of Ruchika.

The mighty and powerful people always manipulate the system and manage to get away scot-free. Unless our criminal justice system is reformed, common people like me will lose faith in the system.

Read more on this:
  1. Statement from Ruchika's father
  2. Ruchika's case

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