The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Thursday granted bail to Vikas Barala, son of Haryana BJP chief Subhash Barala, in the case of alleged abduction, wrongfully restraining and stalking of a 29-year-old woman in Chandigarh in August last year.
Justice Lisa Gill, while granting bail to Barala (23) asked him to strictly stay away from the victim and her family and in no way try to influence the trial of the case.
“Vikas Barala has been granted bail by the court,” Vinod Ghai, one of his counsel, told reporters.
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Mr. Barala’s counsels submitted in the court that the trial of the case was going on in the lower court and that the accused has been in jail for around five months. Besides, the statement of the victim has been recorded as well and, therefore he should be granted bail.
Mr. Barala, the key accused in the case, has been in jail since August 9, and faces charges under different Sections of the Indian Penal Code, including 354 D (stalking), 341 (wrongful restraint) and 365 read with 511 (attempt to kidnap). His bail petition was dismissed four times by the trial court.
Meanwhile, in the trial court Varnika Kundu’s cross-examination was conducted on Wednesday during which she firmly stood by her allegations against the accused.
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Mr. Barala and friend Ashish allegedly chased Varnika Kundu — a disc jockey by profession — in their SUV while she was returning home from Chandigarh to Panchkula on the intervening night of August 4 and August 5, 2017.
Both the accused were first arrested on August 5 on the complaint of Ms. Kundu but were soon released on bail as they were booked under bailable sections of the IPC and the Motor Vehicles Act. The duo was re-arrested on August 9, after the police added Sections 365 and 511 of the IPC for attempt to abduct, in the already-registered FIR.