India 'sex crime' ex-police officer's bail rejected

Mr Rathore was sentenced to six months in prison

A court in India's Haryana state has rejected the bail application of a former senior police officer convicted of molesting a 14-year-old girl.

Legal experts say this means Mr SPS Rathore can be arrested any time now.

Mr Rathore was convicted last month and sentenced to six months in jail for molesting Ruchika Girhotra who later committed suicide.

He now stands accused of "abetment to suicide" and charging Miss Girhotra's brother with fabricated cases of theft.

If convicted, he could get a prison sentence of up to 10 years.

Last week, the government decided to strip him of his police medal.

'Matter of hours'

"The court has dismissed his bail application," Ruchika's lawyer Pankaj Bhardwaj told reporters after the court order.

"The implication is very clear - Mr Rathore can be arrested immediately. It's not a matter of days anymore, it's a matter of hours. Now it is the duty of the state to arrest him."

"Justice has prevailed. Now Rathore should be arrested immediately so that the truth can come out," said Anand Prakash, whose daughter Aradhana was Ruchika's friend and the only witness to the molestation.

Ruchika Girhotra complained in 1990 that she was assaulted by Mr Rathore.

Three years later she committed suicide, after she and her family were allegedly the subject of a campaign of harassment.

Mr Rathore's six month sentence and the accompanying fine of 1,000 rupees ($22) led to outrage in India with Ruchika's family and activists saying the police officer got away with a "very light punishment".

The latest charge of "abetment to suicide" was filed under Section 306 of Indian law which makes it a non-bailable offence.

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