Nehru inspires me to smile, says Rathore

CHANDIGARH: The smile, rather the smirk, that former Haryana DGP SPS Rathore wore as he came out of court after being convicted of molesting 14-year-old Ruchika Girhotra was inspired by Jawaharlal Nehru, says the disgraced cop. And on Wednesday, he defiantly announced that he would smile even more in reaction to what he calls a media offensive against him.
‘‘I learnt from the greatest son of India (Jawaharlal Nehru) to smile when you are in adversity,’’ the 68-year-old former DGP said as he emerged from the Chandigarh district court.‘‘If you succeed in harming me more, I’ll still smile more.
‘‘If you come to my drawing room, you’ll find a photograph of my wife, who was then nine years old, gifting a flower to Pandit Nehru. As a young boy, I used to run along with other boys in university just to get a glimpse of this greatest son of India. And it is from him I learnt to smile in adversity. I will smile more,’’ said Rathore, striking an unrepentant note.
On Wednesday, he had something to smile about though as the court gave him bail until February 8, when an appeal against the December 21 verdict sentencing him to six months’ imprisonment will be heard. The court, however, ordered him to surrender his passport and furnish a bond of Rs 1 lakh.