BJP MP's son, accused in stalking case, appointed Haryana Assistant Advocate General

The Haryana government has appointed advocate Vikas Barala, the son of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Member Parliament (MP) Subhash Barala, as an Assistant Advocate General, despite facing charges of stalking a woman.

Barala's name was published on July 18 in the list of advocates engaged on contractual basis for one year in the office of Advocate General in Chandigarh and at the State’s Legal Cell in Delhi.

Barala has been posted at Delhi, as per the State Justice Department-issued list. He was only identified by his first name in the list.

Barala had hit headlines in 2017 as a law student when he along with his friend Ashish Kumar was accused of chasing the daughter of an IAS officer.

The car chase happened in Chandigarh during the intervening night of August 4 and 5 when the woman was returning to her home in Panchkula. 

Barala was arrested and remained in prison between August 2017 and January 2018, when he was granted bail by the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

The case is currently pending before a magistrate and is fixed for defence evidence on August 2. The statements of accused persons were recorded in May this year. Prior to that, the prosecution evidence was closed on April 9.

Barala, who completed his law during the pendency of the case, enrolled as an advocate in 2019 and was included by the State government in a panel of lawyers to conduct cases on behalf of Boards and Corporations. 

Bar & Bench tried to contact Advocate General Pravindra Singh Chauhan about Barala’s latest appointment but he disconnected the call.

According to Haryana Law Officers (Engagement) Act, 2016, an advocate is disqualified from being appointed as a law officer in case he is convicted of an offence involving moral turpitude.

However, it does not disqualify a lawyer on mere registration or pendency of a case.