Vikas Barala, son of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Subhash Barala and an accused in the 2017 Varnika Kundu stalking and harassment case, has been dropped from the list of recent appointees to the office of Advocate General of Haryana.
The Quint broke the news of Vikas's appointment as a Law Officer on 22 July, following which the Haryana government faced criticism from all quarters.
Civil society groups, including 47 retired IAS officers wrote to the Nayab Singh Saini government on how Vikas's appointment as Assistant Advocate General goes against the government's 'Beti Bachao...' initiative and reflects poorly on its commitment to women's safety.
As per an official notification dated 18 July, issued by the Justice Department, Vikas was among the 97 new appointments to the posts of Additional Advocate General, Senior Deputy Advocate General, Deputy Advocate General, and Assistant Advocate General for the state of Haryana.
He, along with his friend Ashish Kumar, was booked on 5 August 2017 under Sections 354D (stalking), 341 (wrongful restraint), 365 (attempt to abduct), and IPC 511, along with charges related to drunk driving. The complaint was filed by Varnika Kundu, daughter of former Haryana IAS officer VS Kundu, who alleged that the duo chased and tried to forcibly enter her vehicle late at night in Chandigarh.
The case, registered as FIR No. 156 at Police Station Sector 26, saw widespread public outrage at the time. Charges were framed on 13 October 2017 but the trial remains pending to this day, with the next hearing now listed for 2 August 2025, for the recording of defence evidence.
Now, an appeal: At The Quint, we broke this story before most of India’s big media — even those with full-time bureaus in Haryana and large teams covering the High Courts. Why? Because we are deeply committed to reporting on politics and gender-based crimes. We ask tough questions of those in power and hold them accountable.
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