Chandigarh, Aug 6 (India Today): In what could raise a question mark on the Manohar Lal Khattar government of Haryana, police have dropped three serious charges against Vikas Barala in the Chandigarh stalking case.

Vikas Barala is the son of Haryana BJP president Subhash Barala. Vikas and a friend of his were booked for stalking a woman, who is the daughter of a senior IAS officer in the state.

The three charges were originally slapped against Vikas and his friend. But, later those charges were dropped. After having registered the FIR under IPC Section 354 D (stalking) and Section 185 of the Motor Vehicle Act, the police added three more Sections, namely, 341, 365 and 511.

The dropped IPC Sections

IPC Section 341 deals with wrongful restraint while Section 365 is related to "kidnapping or abducting with intent secretly and wrongfully to confine person." Section 511 of the IPC relates to "punishment for attempting to commit offences punishable with imprisonment for life or other imprisonment."

After dropping these charges, Vikas and his co-accused were granted bail by the police without producing them in court. Under attack for dropping the charges, police said that they were seeking legal opinion on IPC Sections 365 and 511.

Why does it matter?

To understand the legal implications of the development, India Today spoke to renowned Chandigarh lawyer Ranjan Lakhanpal, who said, "Under these Sections, the police did not have power to grant bail and release the accused. The charges were serious and the Sections added were non-bailable."

"Police have bypassed the judiciary. It seems attempts are being made to weaken the case as the accused are from influential families," Lakhanpal said.

Meanwhile, commenting on the Chandigarh stalking case, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said that action would be taken against Barala's son. Though, he asserted that Haryana BJP chief Subhash Barala has nothing to do with the matter.

"This matter is not related with Subhash Barala but with an individual. So action would be taken against his son," Khattar said.