Chandigarh, July 28 (IANS) Facing backlash, the Haryana government on Monday revoked the appointment of Vikas Barala, son of BJP Rajya Sabha MP Subhash Barala, as Assistant Advocate General (AAG) after his appointment as one of the 97 law officers engaged by the government for its Advocate-General office.

The notification to withdraw his appointment comes in the wake of widespread criticism by the main Opposition Congress and a strongly worded letter to Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini by 45 ex-IAS officers from across the country.

Rajya Sabha MP Subhash Barala’s son Vikas, who is facing trial in a stalking case, is currently on bail. Vikas and his friend Ashish have been facing trial for stalking and chasing in a bid to kidnap Varnika Kundu, the daughter of a Haryana IAS officer. The case has been listed for hearing in a Chandigarh court on August 2.

The stalking case had brought national attention to issues of women’s safety and the political influence in legal proceedings. The police filed a charge sheet against Vikas and his friend by citing 48 witnesses in 2017.

The complainant and her father, Virender Kundu, are the prime witnesses. The duo has vowed to fight for justice, saying they will not bow down under any pressure. The list of witnesses also includes the friend of Varnika to whom she was talking on the phone, the police personnel who reached the spot and held the accused, and the police officers who picked up Varnika’s call on the emergency helpline number.

The other high-profile appointments in the Advocate-General’s office include Anu Pal, the younger sister of Justice Lisa Gill of the Punjab and Haryana High Court and the sister of Chandigarh Home Secretary Mandeep Singh Brar; Swati Batra, daughter of former HC judge Lalita Batra; Ruchi Sekhri, a BJP leader from Punjab; and Nitin Kaushal, son of Punjab’s former chief secretary Sarvesh Kaushal.

In all, the appointments of more than 95 law officers as Assistant Advocates-Generals, Deputy Advocates-General, Senior Deputy Advocates-General and Additional Advocates-General have been notified.

–IANS

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