'We have our fingers crossed'

Ruchika's family is hoping that Rathore will get maximum punishment

The arguments have been done, evidence has been submitted and scrutinised, and the judge has to hit the gavel for one last time.


Standing tall: SC Girhotra, Ruchika's father (extreme right) and Anand
Prakash, Girhotra's friend (centre). File photo

A day before a Chandigarh sessions court will pronounce its verdict in the Ruchika Girhotra molestation case, family of the dead teenager is keeping their fingers crossed and hoping that the court will give maximum punishment to the former DGP of Haryana.u00a0

Anand Prakash, the complainant in the case who is also father of Aradhana - Ruchika's friend - said he has full faith in the court and expressed the hope that the evidence submitted before the court would nail the tainted Haryana top cop.

"We have appealed for maximum punishment to Rathore. When the incident occurred Ruchika was a minor and the accused Rathore was not only the top police official but also President of Lawn Tennis Association. His job was to protect the people and the trainees but he ended up destroying the life of a minor. He should be given maximum punishment," said Prakash.

He added that there were three other FIR's in which the investigations were pending against Rathore. "Once investigations into these three gets over, Rathore may get ten years imprisonment or even death," he said.

Rathore had told the court that he was an old man and as it was his first offence so he should be given lesser punishment. Prakash told MiD DAY over phone from Chandigarh that he along with Ruchika's family members and friends were eagerly waiting for theu00a0 judgement on Thursday. "We are confident that Rathore's plea will be rejected. We are not thinking on any other lines. In case if anything goes wrong, we will then sit together and decide upon the future course of action."