Case against me a conspiracy: Ruchika's lawyer

Chandigarh: Ruchika Girhotra's family lawyer Pankaj Bhardwaj, facing a cheating and forgery case in Amritsar, on Wednesday alleged that timing of Punjab police team descending at his residence to arrest him is a conspiracy against him to pressurise him not to pursue the case involving high ups.

"There is a lobby behind it," he told reporters. "I will not avoid police...I will cooperate in investigation," he said adding he would also move an application for anticipatory bail.

After arguing the case of former Haryana DGP SPS Rahore in the Punjab and Haryana High court here, Bhardwaj told reporters outside the court premises "the case is being masterminded by a lobby."

He, however, did not name the lobby about which he was talking.

He said that last month Amritsar police had summoned him and he fully cooperated in the investigation in the case.

"It smells something fishy...yesterday Amritsar police team came here looking for me," he said adding that "it had been done at the behest of some influential person as I am taking up cases against high ups."

"After the conviction of Rathore in the Ruchika case some people even told me not to further pursue the case...but I will not get bogged down," he said.

"My name even does not figure in the FIR registered by the Amritsar police," he said adding that he himself ceased to be one of the directors of the firm in 2006 and had also returned the money involved to the tune of Rs 1 crore.

The case pertains to land owned by Amritsar Improvement Trust, which was allegedly transferred in the name of a company in which Bhardwaj was one of the alleged directors, they said.

It is alleged that the land was transferred through forged documents following which the Trust and a Gurgaon-based firm filed a complaint of cheating in 2007.

On the recent directions of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, Amritsar police took action against about two dozen accused by presenting a chargesheet in the Amritsar court.

Meanwhile, police team from Amritsar late this night again raided the house of Bhardwaj in connection with the case.

However, the police team had to return empty handed as it failed to trace Bhardwaj, sources said.

Bhardwaj said he will avail of all legal remedies to escape being caught by the police.