Accused of stalking, son of Haryana BJP leader now law officer; complainant Kundu slams move

Chandigarh: BJP MP Subhash Barala's son Vikas Barala, accused in a case of stalking, has been appointed as a law officer in the office of the Haryana advocate general, according to an appointment order issued in this regard recently.

The incident leading to the charges against Vikas occurred in 2017 when his father was the Haryana BJP chief. Subhash Barala is currently a Rajya Sabha MP.

Vikas has been appointed as an assistant advocate general and will represent the state government before judicial platforms in the national capital. His appointment is part of a broader recruitment of 100 law officers by the government, which was officially notified on July 18.

Meanwhile, the complainant in the case, Varnika Kundu, the daughter of an IAS officer (retired), expressed her disappointment at the development.

Kundu, who was 29 at the time of the incident, had then accused Vikas and his friend of stalking and attempting to abduct her in her complaint.

Taking to social media on Wednesday, Kundu issued a statement, and while she did not name Vikas directly, she called out the authorities involved in Vikas' appointment as a law officer.

"Appointing someone to a public position of power is not just a political decision, it's a reflection of values and standards. So, perhaps, the questions should be directed at the authorities whose ethics and standards allowed this decision to be made. Our policymakers run the country; the rest of us are just hoping they remember that they work for the Indian citizen," she said in her post.

Expressing her faith in the judiciary, Kundu wrote, "Although we seem no closer to a conclusion than we were five years ago, I continue to hold faith in the judiciary until the verdict is announced, but I won't deny that faith has wavered".

She also thanked the media and the public for supporting her over the years.

"It made all the difference -- gave me great courage and still moves me to tears. I don't take that for granted," Kundu said.

Vikas and his friend Ashish Kumar had been charged with stalking and attempting to kidnap Kundu by a court here in October 2017. The trial in the case is ongoing before a Chandigarh court.

On August 5, 2017, Vikas, who was 23 at the time and a law student, along with Kumar, had allegedly followed Kundu's car in their SUV and tried to block the way.

The charges against them were framed under various Sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including 354d (stalking), 341 (wrongful restraint) and 365 read with 511 (attempt to kidnap).

Initially arrested on the night of August 4-5, 2017, they were released on bail as their charges were bailable under the IPC and the Motor Vehicles Act. They were later re-arrested on August 9, 2017, after cooperating with the investigation, but received bail again from the high court in January 2018.

Vikas appeared for a law examination on December 18, 2017, while in police custody, after being granted bail specifically to take his exams.

In June this year, the state government had constituted a 'selection committee' under the Haryana Law Officers (Engagement) Act, 2016 for finalisation of the selection process for engagement of 100 law officers -- which included 20 Additional Advocate Generals, 20 Senior Deputy Advocate Generals, 30 Deputy Advocate Generals and 30 Assistant Advocate Generals, in pursuance to advertisement dated January 31.

Haryana's Advocate General, Parvindra Chauhan and Vikas Barala were not reachable for comments on the appointment.