Lok Sabha Elections 2024 | Congress' Karnal candidate Budhiraja granted bail in 2018 property defacement case

Chandigarh: Haryana Youth Congress chief Divyanshu Budhiraja, who is Congress' Karnal Lok Sabha candidate, was on Friday granted bail by a Panchkula court in connection with a 2018 property defacement case.

On January 3, police in Panchkula had registered a case under Section 174-A of the IPC in view of the order passed by a court in Panchkula, in 2023, declaring Budhiraja a proclaimed person in a FIR dated January 28, 2018 under Section 3-A of the Haryana Prevention of Defacement of Property Act, 1989 after warrants against him were returned unexecuted.

Budhiraja on Friday surrendered before another court that later granted him bail in the property defacement case in which he had been declared a proclaimed person.

Budhiraja is contesting from Karnal Lok Sabha seat against BJP leader and former chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar.

Speaking to reporters outside the court in Panchkula, Budhiraja's counsel said, "In that matter, we had applied for regular bail after surrendering (before the court)."

After hearing the arguments, the court has granted bail to him, he said.

Budhiraja's counsel said that in their plea it was argued that the offence was compoundable and bailable in nature.

In 2018, Budhiraja, who was then the state president of National Students' Union of India, had been booked by the Panchkula police under the Haryana Prevention of Defacement of Property Act, 1989. He had been booked after he had put up posters regarding unemployment in the state.

The Panchkula police in January 2024 registered a fresh FIR under Section 174-A (non-appearance before court in response to a proclamation) for his failure to appear before the Panchkula court.

Recently, the Congress candidate had also moved the Punjab and Haryana high court, seeking quashing of the FIR dated January 3, 2024, registered under Section 174-A IPC.

The High Court, during the hearing on Thursday, had asked Bhudiraja's counsel to seek instructions on whether his client (Budhiraja) was ready to surrender before the trial court.

Budhiraja, in his plea, had also termed the FIR in 2018 the result of political vendetta.

"False case was slapped against me because I had raised the voice of unemployed youth of Haryana," Budhiraja told reporters outside the court in Panchkula on Friday.

When asked why he had not appeared before the court earlier, Budhiraja told reporters, "I had been following proper legal process...".

"(Recently) we moved the high court, which gave direction that we should approach the trial court in Panchkula," he said.

Budhiraja alleged he was booked by the Panchkula police for putting up posters regarding unemployment and seeking answers from then Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar.