Order on Rathore’s sentence on May 20

The order on the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the complainant’s appeals,demanding enhanced sentence for Rathore,will be passed on the same day.

Earlier,the court had clubbed the three appeals for joint hearing,which began on May 3.

The in-camera proceedings on Tuesday lasted for about four hours. The complainant’s lawyer,Pankaj Bhardwaj,presented arguments in favour of the revision petition.

“We completed our arguments today and presented our case in the best possible way. We had highly credible witnesses. There is no way anybody can prove them wrong,” Bhardwaj said. “The defence has requested the court that Rathore is 70-year-old and should be left on probation.”

Later,the CBI counsel presented counter arguments over the rebuttal filed by Abha Rathore over the agency’s appeal.

It took the court 10 hearings,the first two were held on April 15 and 16,to wrap up the three pleas.

‘I expect maximum punishment for what he did to my daughter’

For the first time on Tuesday,Ruchika’s father S C Girhotra came for hearing in the district courts,which had handed Rathore six-month sentence for molesting his daughter in 1990.

An emotional Girhotra said he expected maximum punishment of two years for Rathore and that he would not “bow down under his pressure any more”.

“They (defence) haven’t been able to prove a single prosecution witness wrong and we have submitted strong documentary and direct evidence against him. I am expecting complete justice,” Gurhotra said after the hearing.

“He has harassed us and molested my daughter,who later committed suicide due to the pressure and harassment he exerted on us for three years. He deserves no leniency. I am expecting maximum punishment of two years for what he did to my daughter,” he added.