New Delhi:
Nine years passed before a police case was filed against SPS Rathore for molesting a teenager who went on to kill herself.
Rathore, a senior police officer in Haryana was indicted by his boss who investigated the complaint filed against him by 14-year-old Ruchika Girhotra. But the government's sanction - required because Rathore was an Inspector General - was impossible to win.
Rathore, in fact, was promoted to the top-most post, Director General of the Haryana Police.
Now, as public outrage builds against a man who so clearly enjoyed and exercised political clout, the government says it wants to change the rules. (
Read: How you can help fight for justice for Ruchika)
For one, states have been told that all written complaints must be treated as First Information Reports (FIRs) because this makes them easier to action. To ensure transparency, policemen will also have to justify every arrest that follows as a result of an FIR, or explain why someone named in an FIR was not arrested.
Another fallout of the Ruchika case: Any officer who is convicted of a crime, will automatically have to forfeit medals. S P S Rathore was awarded a medal for meritorious service in 1985.
That ruling means another senior police officer from Haryana, RK Sharma, will have to return the medal he received in 1996. Sharma has been convicted for the murder of a journalist. Also likely to be impacted: A senior official of the Narcotics Bureau under trial for allegedly involvement in a drug racket; and a Jammu and Kashmir senior officer who led many anti-terror operations but is now being tried for destroying evidence.
According to sources in the Home Ministry, the Medals Committee will discuss these cases on January 4.
Many argue that the real punishment lies in revoking the perques and pension of convicted officers.