Chandigarh: Amid mounting pressure and criticism, the Haryana government has dropped the name of Vikas Barala, son of BJP Rajya Sabha MP and former state BJP president Subhash Barala, from its recently announced list of 97 law officers.
Vikas, an accused in the infamous 2017 Varnika Kundu stalking and attempted abduction case, had been appointed as Assistant Advocate General (AAG) in the Advocate General’s Delhi office on July 18.
The appointment sparked a controversy, drawing scathing criticism from civil society. Even a group of 45 retired IAS officers had written to the chief minister demanding his removal, calling the appointment a “mockery of justice” and a betrayal of the values professed by the state under the “Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao” banner.
Even the stalking victim, who is the daughter of a retired IAS officer, had also slammed the appointment in a post on her social media accounts. “Appointing someone to a public position of power is not just a political decision—it’s a reflection of values and standards,” she wrote.
The incident unfolded on the night of August 4, 2017, when she alleged that Vikas Barala and his friend Ashish Kumar chased her car for over seven kilometers, tried to block her path, and attempted to forcibly enter her vehicle in Chandigarh.
Acting on her complaint, the Chandigarh police had registered an FIR under IPC Sections 354D, 341, 365, and 511, along with drunk driving, and Vikas was arrested and spent five months in Burail Jail before being released on bail. The trial is still ongoing, with the next hearing scheduled for August 2, 2025.
The Home Department formally removed Vikas’s name from the list, and Advocate General Pravindra Singh Chauhan claimed the inclusion had been a “confusion,” citing the presence of another individual named Vikas.
“He will not join. I wasn’t aware of his background,” Chauhan said, drawing further disbelief from opposition leaders and legal experts alike. A strongly-worded letter from retired bureaucrats, including former regulatory body heads, called the appointment “an affront to the dignity of Haryana” and referenced the Supreme Court’s 2011 judgment that annulled the appointment of P.J. Thomas as Central Vigilance Commissioner due to pending criminal charges. “Similar standards must apply to all,” the letter said, demanding fast-tracking of Vikas’s trial.
However, the development also revealed that at least 23 of the 97 appointed officers had close connections to politicians, bureaucrats, or judges. This is despite the Supreme Court’s 2016 guidelines, which had warned against politicized appointments in the AG’s office, calling for transparent, merit-based selections to preserve institutional integrity.
