Forty-five former IAS officers have written to Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini requesting that the state government’s appointment of a BJP leader’s son – who is facing a case of abduction and stalking – as assistant advocate general be revoked. They said the appointment can affect the outcome of the case.
Vikas Barala, son of Haryana BJP president Subash Barala, is accused in a high-profile 2017 stalking-and-abduction case involving Varnika Kundu, the daughter of Haryana IAS officer VS Kundu. The incident reportedly took place on the night of August 4, 2017 and the case is pending trial.
Kundu had earlier vented out her anger on an Instagram post, writing, “Appointing someone to a public position of power is not just a political decision, it’s a reflection of values and standards.”
The letter to the CM on Friday was written by former bureaucrats such as PD Vaghela, former chairman of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, G V Venugopala Sarma, former chairman of the National Authority of the Chemical Weapon Convention, and Ravi Kapoor, former secretary of the textiles ministry.
In the letter, the former bureaucrats condemned the appointment and sought a fast-track trial of the case which has been pending for seven years. They also expressed shock and anguish at the appointment and said Barala’s continuance in the post is likely to affect the outcome of the case.
“He will work as the state legal officer, when he is himself on the wrong side of the law in such a serious matter. It seems your government failed to consider the existence of a serious criminal case against Barala or he would not be appointed, being disqualified for such a sensitive post,” the letter read.
The former bureaucrats stated that the appointment goes against the state’s dignity and cited Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s slogan of ‘Beti Bachao’.
“We request you to revoke his appointment forthwith, as his continuance in the post is likely to affect the outcome of the case in which he is accused. We further request you to take up with the judiciary to fast-track the trial of the case, as already more than seven years have passed.”
Highlighting the annulment of appointment of P J Thomas as head of Central Vigilance Commission by SC in 2011 in view of a case pending against him, the former bureaucrats said Barala’s appointment should also be looked at through the same lens.
Speaking to Newslaundry, G V Venugopala Sarma said even though the both cases are technically different, the same analogy applies to Barala. “There is definitely something wrong and the mechanism should have checked it. The home secretary is a member of the committee which had recommended. The committee should have seen, they should have noted. But they failed and we wanted to point it out.”
In times of misinformation, you need news you can trust. We’ve got you covered. Subscribe to Newslaundry and power our work.
Newslaundry is a reader-supported, ad-free, independent news outlet based out of New Delhi. Support their journalism, here.
