Charged with molesting 14-year-old Ruchika Girotra, former Haryana DGP S.P.S. Rathore is back on an official seat at the fag end of his career in an apparent attempt to regularise his salary and other benefits.Rathore is retiring on July 31, exactly 22 days after rejoining as Haryana Police Housing Corporation (HPHC) chairman. He had proceeded on long leave on December 5 last year after Special CBI Magistrate A.K. Tyagi ordered a trial in the Ruchika case.Though there is nothing on record, it is believed the state government asked him to proceed on long leave. Rathore did so saying it was his ‘‘moral responsibility not to continue as head of the state police’’. Rathore’s rejoining as HPHC chief would enable him to draw salary and other benefits which could have got delayed if he had continued on leave. The move has come within days of the High Court’s decision remitting his case to the Patiala District and Sessions Judge to probe his alleged involvement in harassing Ruchika’s brother Ashu. Ashu had alleged that Rathore got six cases of auto theft registered to press him and his family to withdraw their complaint.Top Haryana officials were tightlipped. Officiating Chief Secretary A.N. Mathur refused to come on the phone. Home Secretary Birbal Das Dhalia too refused comment. A senior official said: ‘‘He (Rathore) was on leave for more than a year. After all, the government had to justify the head under which he was drawing salary.’’
