Chandigarh, January 26: Giving relief to disgraced former Haryana DGP S P S Rathore, Punjab and Haryana High Court on Monday directed the CBI to issue a notice to him four days before arresting him in an abetment to suicide case and stayed his arrest in two separate cases of attempt to murder and forgery till February 15.
In case the CBI did arrest Rathore in the two cases, the court said, he will be granted interim bail. But to ensure the investigation does not come to a standstill, it also directed Rathore to join the investigation.
While passing the orders, the court noted that the CBI had investigated the same case 19 years ago but did not book Rathore for abetment to suicide.
Rathore’s lawyer R S Rai Rathore’s wife Abha, who has been arguing his case, preferred to remain a spectator contended that lodging an FIR against Rathore for abetment to suicide was wrong “as the issue has already been decided by the High Court and the Supreme Court many years ago.”
When CBI’s counsel Anmol Rattan Sidhu sought three weeks to reply to Rathore’s petition, seeking quashing of abetment to suicide charges, Rai said: “Till the CBI files its reply, my client undertakes that he will join the investigation as and when required. Please direct the CBI not to take any coercive action till then.”
Rai said the CBI was yet to issue a notice to Rathore to join the investigation. “It (CBI) can’t continue asking for more time till the anticipatory bail becomes in-fructuous. Rathore will co-operate. After all, his reputation is also at stake,” he said.
—Agencies