Chandigarh: The BJP Rajya Sabha MP and former Haryana BJP chief Subhash Barala’s son Vikas Barala has been appointed as Assistant Advocate General (AAG) in Haryana at the Advocate General (AG) Delhi office.
Vikas and his friend Ashish Kumar were booked on August 5, in 2017 for allegedly stalking and attempting to kidnap DJ Varnika Kundu, daughter of a senior IAS officer V S Kundu (now retired).
The case was registered on the complaint on Varnika and trial in the case is pending before a Chandigarh court with the next hearing in the case being August 2, 2025. Vikas is currently out on bail.
According to the complainant, she was heading to her home in Chandigarh on August 4 night when she noticed a car following her and its occupants, Vikas and Anish allegedly attempted to block her path and tried to enter her vehicle.
Initially the Chandigarh police booked them under Section 354D (stalking) of the IPC and relevant sections of the Motor Vehicles Act, though subsequently, charges of attempt to abduct her were added after widespread criticism of police functioning.
The Chandigarh court framed charges against the duo on October 13, 2017 and Vikas remained in jail for about five months and appeared in his law exams during the period.
According to media reports, Vikas’s appointment was recommended by a screening committee comprising two retired judges of the high court. The order regarding his appointment was issued by the home secretary on July 18 last – Vikas and four other law officers were appointed by the Haryana government for the state’s legal cell in Delhi.
Notably, the Haryana Law Officers (Engagements) Act, 2016, bars only appointment/engagement of a person, who has been convicted of an offence involving moral turpitude.
The other four law officers include Anu Pal, sister of Justice Lisa Gill of Punjab and Haryana High Court, Swati Batra, daughter of former High Court judge Lalita Batra, Ruchi Sekhri, a BJP leader from Punjab and Nitin Kaushal, son of Punjab’s former chief secretary Sarvesh Kaushal.
In all, appointments of about 100 law officers - assistant advocate generals, deputy advocate generals, senior deputy advocate generals and additional advocate generals - have been notified.
