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The Print
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Print
Stalking case returns to haunt BJP MP's son Vikas Barala. Haryana govt drops him as AAG in swift U-turn
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? — 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'
The Hindu
4 days ago
- The Hindu
BSP leader Armstrong murder case: Didn't you even conduct identification parade, Madras High Court asks Chennai police
The Madras High Court on Monday (July 28, 2025) questioned Greater Chennai City Police for not having complied with even the basic requirement of conducting an identification parade in the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader K. Armstrong murder case despite there being many eye witnesses to the crime. Justice P. Velmurugan said, most of the criminal cases end up in acquittal only because of the flaws in the investigation and the present case before him was a classic example. He said, availability of CCTV footage of the crime could not be cited as reason to dispense with the identification parade. When Additional Advocate General (AAG) P. Kumaresan said, the media too had published pictures of the accused and hence an identification parade might not have been of much use, the judge asked, 'Was the media the eye witness to the crime? Media may publish any picture for TRP (Television Rating Points).' According to the prosecution, Armstrong was hacked to death by an eight-member armed gang in the presence of his elder brother K. Veeramani, driver Abdul Kani, real estate broker Balaji and building construction workers Mohanraj and Suresh at Perambur in Chennai on July 5, 2024. Mr. Veeramani too had suffered stab injuries, on his head and back, when he tried to protect his brother and it was on his complaint, the police had registered the First Information Report. The injured complainant had categorically told the police that he would be able to identify the assailants. Yet, the police had miserably failed to conduct an identification parade, the judge lamented. Though the defence counsel would have attacked the results of the parade by citing publication of photographs of the accused in the media, that should not have prevented the police from complying with the legal requirement, he said. The observations were made before the judge reserved his orders on a petition filed by Armstrong's another brother K. Immanuvel to transfer the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The petitioner had sought transfer on the ground that the Chennai police had not investigated the case properly. Though the police had completed the investigation in the case and laid a charge sheet against as many as 30 individuals, the petitioner relied upon a Supreme Court verdict to contend that the High Court could still transfer the investigation to the CBI if it was not satisfied with the probe by the local police. Justice Velmurugan told the AAG he would go through the case papers and then decide whether to set aside the charge sheet and order a fresh investigation by the Greater Chennai City police itself or to transfer the probe to any other investigating agency as sought by the petitioner. In a counter affidavit to the transfer plea, the police told the court a Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by a Joint Commissioner of Police and comprising one Deputy Commissioner, two Assistant Commissioners, 16 Inspectors, 19 Sub Inspectors and 44 constables was formed to solve the Armstrong murder case. The investigation was conducted from all angles and it revealed that the motive for the murder was gang rivalry and previous enmity due to the 2023 murder of 'Arcot' Suresh. Hence, the police filed a 7,087-page charge sheet against 30 individuals who included the wife, brother, brother-in-law, other relatives and associates of Suresh. The prime accused was convict Nagendran who was undergoing incarceration at Vellore Central Prison in another murder case. Further, the second accused 'Shambhava' Senthil alias Senthilkumaran and eighteenth accused 'Mottai' Krishnan alias Krishnakumar, both advocates by profession, were declared absconding. On learning that the second accused could have escaped either to France or the United Kingdom, the police had taken steps to extradite him by issuing Red Corner Notices. They also split the case against the two absconding accused and informed the trial court that seventh accused Thiruvengadam had died during investigation. Stating steps were taken to conduct trial against the rest of the 27 accused who were still under judicial custody and had not been granted bail so far, the police said, the investigation was conducted in a professional manner and that the accused had also been detained under the Goondas Act. The court was further told five country-made bombs, one country made pistol, four 9mm bullets, 13 knives, one axe, eight two-wheelers, four four-wheelers, 27 mobile phones, a Zomato dress and a bag and cash amounting to ₹63.13 lakh were seized from the arrested accused.
Time of India
23-07-2025
- General
- Time of India
Govt's affidavit to SC comes in way of road planned through Sariska
Jaipur: Forest department's plan to construct a black-topped road up to Pandupol temple in Sariska Tiger Reserve has encountered a legal roadblock due to a prior commitment made before the Supreme Court. The route to Pandupol passes through the reserve's core zone, a crucial habitat for tigers and other wildlife, while also serving as a significant pilgrimage corridor, with lakhs of devotees visiting the ancient Hanuman temple every year. To assess feasibility of constructing a paved road in this ecologically sensitive stretch, the Sariska administration sought legal opinion from the additional advocate general (AAG). In response, the AAG categorically stated that the state govt cannot proceed with the plan, having already filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court pledging that no such construction would take place. Any deviation from this assurance, the AAG said, would first require approval from the apex court. An official familiar with the matter said, "The road improvement was initially part of a broader plan to introduce electric bus services within the reserve. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 5 Books Warren Buffett Wants You to Read In 2025 Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo To support this initiative, the Central Empowered Committee (CEC) recommended strengthening the route from Sadar Gate and Tehla Gate to the Pandupol temple, while explicitly advising against black-topping. Based on these recommendations, the Sariska administration received a sanction of Rs 7.4 crore to construct high-quality gravel roads along the Sadar–Pandupol and Tehla–Kalighati corridors. " Given the legal constraints, the use of alternative, eco-friendly technologies was advised. "In the absence of Supreme Court approval, constructing a tarred road would directly violate the govt's own sworn affidavit. Instead, it was recommended that techniques such as stabilised soil, gravel surfacing, interlocking paver blocks, or murram be used. These methods are not only environmentally sustainable but have also been effectively implemented in other tiger reserves like Bandhavgarh, Corbett, Kanha, and Kaziranga," the official added. He further noted that if these alternative techniques later prove inadequate in terms of safety, traffic flow, or long-term durability, the state govt still has the option to file a fresh application before the Supreme Court. "However, the govt will need to convincingly demonstrate that constructing a black-topped road is essential to both ecological balance and public interest," he said.
The Hindu
23-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Row over appointment of Vikas Barala as Assistant Advocate General
A controversy has erupted over the appointment of Haryana Bharatiya Janata Party Rajya Sabha member Subhash Barala's son, Vikas Barala, as Assistant Advocate General (AAG) by the Haryana government. Mr. Barala is currently out on bail in a case involving charges of abduction, wrongful restraint and stalking of a woman. According to official records, Mr. Barala was appointed through a government notification issued on July 18. The Congress, in a post on its official handle on social media platform X, objected to the appointment. 'See the shamelessness of Haryana's BJP government. The government has appointed Vikas Barala, who attempted molestation and kidnapping, as AAG in the Haryana government. This means a criminal who misbehaved with girls will now represent the government in court,' the party said. 'Even before this, the BJP has been promoting those who harass women, commit rape and murder. This is just the next chapter,' it further said. The case dates back to August 5, 2017, when Vikas Barala and his friend Ashish Kumar allegedly followed and attempted to stop a woman, who was returning home from Chandigarh to Panchkula. The woman, a disc jockey and daughter of a senior IAS officer in the Haryana government at the time, had lodged a complaint leading to the duo's arrest. Initially, they were released on bail after being booked under bailable sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Motor Vehicles Act. Following public outrage and criticism over the handling of the case, including accusations of dilution of charges, the police later re-arrested the accused on August 9. Sections 365 and 511 of the IPC (attempt to abduct) were added to the existing FIR. Speaking to The Hindu, the woman's father, now retired, said that only the prosecution witnesses had deposed so far in the case, even after eight years. He added that the defence was yet to present its witnesses and evidence. He declined to comment on Mr. Barala's appointment as AAG. Mr. Subhash Barala could not be reached for a response. His personal assistant said he was attending the ongoing Parliament session.
India Today
23-07-2025
- Politics
- India Today
Row erupts as Haryana BJP MP's son, facing stalking case, appointed law officer
BJP Rajya Sabha MP Subhash Barala's son, Vikas Barala, has been appointed as the Assistant Advocate General (AAG) of Haryana, a move that has raised eyebrows and sparked Barala is accused in a high-profile 2017 stalking and attempted abduction case involving Varnika Kundu, the daughter of Haryana IAS officer VS Kundu. The incident took place on the night of August 4, to the complainant, Vikas Barala and his friend Ashish tried to block her path, persuade her, and allegedly attempted to enter her vehicle while she was returning home. The two were initially booked under Section 354D (stalking) and other sections, with charges of attempted abduction added later. Charges were formally framed in October, and Vikas was lodged in jail for over five months. The case is still being heard in a local court in to India Today over the phone, Varnika Kundu said, "As far as the appointment of Vikas Barala is concerned, I think the competent authority that appointed him can answer. They are all learned people and can answer on this appointment.""As far as my case is concerned, I would say that I have faith in the judiciary, but it has been 8 years now. A lot of attention has also gone away from the case," she on the matter, Haryana Minister Ranbir Gangwa said, "A committee was formed in this case which appointed Vikas only after proper investigation. How can the Congress talk about nepotism or recommendation? There is no thought regarding his removal from the position."Barala is one of seven law officers designated to represent Haryana's legal cell in Delhi. In total, 96 law officers—including Additional Advocate Generals, Senior Deputy Advocate Generals, Deputy Advocate Generals, and Assistant Advocate Generals—have been appointed to represent the state before the Punjab and Haryana High Court in Chandigarh and in Delhi.- Ends
