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Karnal Congress candidate Budhiraja surrenders, gets bail in 2018 property defacement case
Budhiraja, 31, who is the president of the Haryana Youth Congress and is contesting against former Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar of the BJP in the May 25 election, had surrendered before the court minutes before he was let off on bail.
In a major relief to the Karnal Congress candidate Divyanshu Budhiraja, a Panchkula court on Friday granted him bail in connection with a 2018 property defacement case in which he had been declared a proclaimed offender.
Divyanshu, 31, who is the president of the Haryana Youth Congress and is contesting against former Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar of the BJP in the May 25 election, had surrendered before the court a few hours before he was let off on bail.
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The court of judicial magistrate Arunima Chauhan granted him bail after he furnished a bail bond of ₹40,000 and a surety of the like amount.
Divyanshu, who was booked for defacement of property in 2018 after he had put up posters regarding unemployment in the state, was declared a proclaimed offender by a Panchkula court on December 15, 2023 after he failed to appear before the court repeatedly.
A criminal case was registered against him at the Sector-14 police station in Panchkula on January 28, 2018, under the Haryana Prevention of Defacement of Property Act.
A fresh FIR was registered for his failure to appear before the Panchkula court under Section 174-A (failure to appear before court) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) upon the court order by the Sector 14 police station of Panchkula on January 3, 2024.
Divyanshu had even moved the Punjab and Haryana high court, seeking quashing of the charges against him. In his plea, he had termed the 2018 FIR the result of political vendetta and blamed the police for his failure to appear in the proceedings, which resulted in the court declaring him a proclaimed offender. He had sought quashing of the January 3 FIR and consequent proceedings.
After getting bail, Divyanshu told reporters: “Jako rakhe saiyan mar sake na koi, bal bi banka kar na sake, chahe Khattar ji ho ya koi. It was a conspiracy to malign me. Those cases that were being talked about I had taken on for people but today the court has given me bail.”
Holding a copy of the Constitution, he said he was booked for putting up flex boards regarding unemployment and seeking answers from then CM Khattar.
Challenging him to an open debate, Divyanshu said, “I have got bail, Khattar ji ab aap janta ki adalat mein aaye log faisla karenge. Aap time fix karein. 9.5 saal ke kaam aap laiye or 9.5 saal kacha chita main launga.Log dekh rahe hain... ek ‘rejected CM’ jo tag unhi ki party ke neta ne unpar lagaya, mujhe nahi lagta ki Karnal ki janta sveekar karegi.”
Divyanshu’s sister breaks down, family holds fort
While the court proceedings were underway in Panchkula, Divyanshu’s family members held fort for him in Karnal.
Divyanshu was scheduled to address meetings of party workers in Gharounda, Indri and Assandh sub divisions during the day, apart from attending his party office inauguration in Karnal in the evening.
However, his elder brother Hitesh and sister Bhawna Arora addressed the gathering in Gharounda, while his father, Sunder Lal, chaired the meeting at Indri.
Divyanshu will address supporters at the opening of the joint party office with Tarlochan Singh, who is the Congress candidate for the Karnal byelection.
At the new grain market of Gharounda, Divyanshu’s sister was in tears as she apprehended his arrest in Panchkula. Turning emotional, she accused his rival Khattar of political vendetta.
“Divyanshu has always stood for the youth, faced lathicharge and been in jail for them. Now he is in Karnal as the Congress candidate for them. But this government wants him to be in jail. I challenge Khattar to do anything to him. I’m standing with him and so should you (party workers),” Arora told the gathering.
