Stalking case returns to haunt BJP MP's son Vikas Barala. Haryana govt drops him as AAG in swift U-turn

The Print

5 days ago

The move, confirmed to ThePrint Monday by a senior Haryana Home Department officer, comes after widespread public indignation and a sternly worded letter to Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini by 45 ex-IAS officers from across the country and criticism by the main opposition party, Congress.
Gurugram: In a rapid volte-face, the Haryana government revoked the appointment of Vikas Barala, son of BJP Rajya Sabha MP Subhash Barala, as Assistant Advocate General (AAG) just 10 days after his name featured in a list of 97 law officers engaged by the state government for its AG office.
Also read: Solan court allows woman's plea challenging closure report in gang rape case against Haryana BJP chief
The controversial appointment
On 18 July 2025, the Haryana government headed by Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini issued a notification appointing Vikas Barala AAG in the Advocate General's Delhi office.
The appointment was a part of an overall recruitment of 97 law officers, such as Additional Advocate Generals, Senior Deputy Advocate Generals, Deputy Advocate Generals, and Assistant Advocate Generals, approved by then-Governor Bandaru Dattatreya.
Barala's appointment caused instant controversy because he was accused in the 2017 Varnika Kundu stalking case, which had raised questions on women's safety and the role of political patronage into focus.
Vikas, the son of then-Haryana BJP president Subhash Barala (now, a Rajya Sabha MP), was charged with stalking and trying to kidnap disc jockey Varnika Kundu, daughter of a retired IAS officer V.S. Kundu, on the evening of 4 August 2017, in Chandigarh. The case is still pending at a Chandigarh court, with the next hearing on 2 August 2025.
Varnika Kundu, who was 29 at the time, was returning home from Chandigarh's Sector-8 market at around 12:15 AM. In her complaint, she said Vikas Barala and his friend Ashish Kumar had followed her in a Tata Safari, tried to close in on her, and tried to get into her car. Kundu described how the accused took her in the direction of Sector-26, with one of them getting down and trying to open her car door, but failed as it had central locking. She informed the Chandigarh Police through the emergency helpline (100), disclosed her location, and called her father, resulting in the immediate arrest of Barala and Kumar.
An FIR was filed under Sections 354D (stalking), 341 (wrongful restraint), 365 (attempt to abduct), 511 (attempt to commit an offence), and charges of drunken driving under the Indian Penal Code (IPC). A 200-page chargesheet was filed on 20 September 2017, and charges were framed on 13 October 2017.
Barala spent five months in Chandigarh's Model Jail at Burail, during which he continued his law studies and appeared for exams. The trial, now in the defence evidence stage, has seen over 100 hearings but remains unresolved after eight years, with Kundu expressing frustration over repeated adjournments.
The appointment of Barala as AAG stirred massive outrage, with Varnika Kundu speaking up for the first time on social media. In a moving four-page Facebook message, she said, 'Appointing someone to a public position of power is not just a political decision, it's a reflection of values and standards. The questions must be posed to the authorities whose ethics permitted this action.'
She emphasised the protracted legal fight, observing that in spite of months of national publicity, her case had made very little headway. 'While we appear no nearer a verdict than we were five years ago, I still have hope in the judiciary until the verdict comes out—but I won't lie and say that faith hasn't weakened,' she further said.
Kundu thanked the public and media for the support which, she said, brought tears to her eyes and gave her strength.
Kundu's blog post struck a chord, re-igniting debates on the case that had originally inspired the 'Bekhauf Azaadi' movement in Chandigarh, causing Google Maps to re-designate Chandigarh's 'Geri Route' as 'Azadi Route' in 2018.
The 'Geri Route' in Chandigarh is a well-known stretch of roads, primarily spanning Sectors 8, 9, 10, and 11, with the core area being around colleges like DAV College and Government College for Girls. 'Geri' (or 'Gedi') is a Punjabi term that loosely translates to 'rounds' or a leisurely drive/stroll. The 'Geri Route' has been a popular spot for the youth of Chandigarh, especially college students, to cruise around in their cars and motorbikes, socialise, and show off their vehicles.
Google Maps' action of changing the name of this stretch to 'Azadi Route' was a symbolic move to reclaim public spaces for everyone and challenge the 'geri culture' which, at times, was associated with harassment of college girls and women visiting the markets along this route.
The IAS officers' letter
On 26 July 2025, 45 retired IAS officers of the 1986 batch (Varnika's father V.S. Kundu's batch), with officers like P.D. Vaghela, former TRAI chairman, G.V. Venugopala Sarma, former chairman of the National Authority of the Chemical Weapon Convention, and Ravi Capoor, former secretary, textiles ministry, addressed an open letter to CM Saini.
The letter, posted on X by the veteran journalist Paranjoy Guha Thakurta, reacted in shock at the appointment of Barala, terming it a 'betrayal of Haryana's asmita (pride)' and a negation of the 'Beti Bachao' campaign.
'We cannot understand the logic of the appointment of a man who has been accused of stalking a woman as AAG,' the letter said. 'He will serve as the state legal officer when he himself is on the wrong side of the law in this grave case.'
The officers asked for Barala's appointment to be revoked at once, citing the risk of his appointment affecting the pending trial. They also used the 2011 Supreme Court rejection of P.J. Thomas' appointment as head of Central Vigilance Commission in the wake of a pending case and asked that Barala's appointment be vetted similarly. The letter ended with a request to expedite the trial, pointing out that more than seven years had gone by without a verdict.
Divya Spandana's post
The scandal further picked up momentum with former MP turned actor Divya Spandana, popularly referred to as Ramya, tweeting on X on 23 July 2025, and fueling doubts over the screening process. She tweeted, 'The BJP Govt in Haryana has appointed the accused Vikas Barala in the Varnika Kundu stalking case as Assistant Advocate General of the very state that is prosecuting him!! @PMOIndia @AmitShah @arjunrammeghwal @NayabSainiBJP How could the screening committee have sanctioned this?'
The BJP Govt in Haryana has appointed the accused Vikas Barala in the Varnika Kundu stalking case as Assistant Advocate General of the very state that is prosecuting him!! @PMOIndia @AmitShah @arjunrammeghwal @NayabSainiBJP How did the screening committee approve this? pic.twitter.com/qTNoXn06Fe
— Ramya/Divya Spandana (@divyaspandana) July 23, 2025
After the government decided to withdraw Barala, Spandana cheered on X on Monday, saying, 'Win for us!!! On days like these, this piece of news makes me so happy. Accused Vikas Barala's name has been removed from the Haryana Law Officers list. This would not have been possible without all the women who stood up for Varnika—and not to forget the men too who supported us in this fight. This is proof that justice does win out, if we stand together.'
Win for us!!! On days like these, this piece of news makes me so happy. Accused Vikas Barala's name has been dropped from the Haryana Law Officers list. This would not have been possible without all the women who stood up for Varnika- and not to forget the men too who supported…
— Ramya/Divya Spandana (@divyaspandana) July 28, 2025
She had mentioned on X that she tagged some journalists, actors Richa Chadha, Mahua Moitra, and CM Nayab Saini, attributing concerted efforts in the overturning of the decision.
(Edited by Viny Mishra)
Also read: Retd IAS write to Haryana CM on engaging stalking accused Vikas Barala—'betrayal of Beti bachao'