After citing ‘confusion', Haryana drops stalking accused Vikas Barala from list of 97 law officers
Haryana Advocate General Pravindra Singh Chauhan had told The Indian Express that 'there was some confusion, because there were two Vikas on the list'. He had also said that Barala, son of BJP Rajya Sabha MP Subhash Barala, had not joined and would not join.
The Haryana government's July 18 notification listed appointments for the posts of assistant advocate generals, deputy advocate generals, senior deputy advocate generals, and additional advocate generals. The Indian Express reported that of the 97 law officers selected, at least 23 have connections to politicians, bureaucrats, judges, and IAS/IPS officers.
The trial in the 2017 sexual harassment case against Barala is ongoing in a Chandigarh court, and he is currently out on bail.
Vikas and his friend Ashish Kumar were booked on August 5, 2017, under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 354D (stalking), 341 (wrongful restraint), 365 (attempt to abduct) and 511, apart from charges of drunk driving. The complaint by a daughter of a Haryana-cadre IAS officer alleged that the duo chased and tried to enter her vehicle late at night in Chandigarh forcibly.
Subhash Barala was serving as the Haryana BJP chief at that time. Following the woman's complaint, an FIR was filed at the Sector 26 police station. Vikas and Ashish were arrested on August 9, 2017, after significant public outcry. Charges were framed against the accused in October 2017.
Vikas was lodged in Chandigarh's Model Jail at Burail until the Punjab and Haryana High Court granted him bail in January 2018. The next date of hearing in the trial is listed on August 2, 2025, for the recording of defence evidence.
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