Punjab and Haryana High Court stays proceedings against Congress Lok Sabha candidate Divyanshu Budhiraja

The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Tuesday stayed proceedings against Youth Congress leader Divyanshu Budhiraja in a case registered against him for not appearing before a trial court in another 2018 case..Budhiraja is Congress party’s candidate for Karnal Lok Sabha seat in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections and will face off against former Haryana Chief Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Manohar Lal Khattar.In December 2023, Budhiraja had been declared as a proclaimed offender by the Chief Judicial Magistrate in Panchkula in a case registered against him for not appearing before Court in a 2018 case under Haryana Prevention of Defacement of Property Act.Following the trial order, he was booked under Section 174A of Indian Penal Code (IPC).Single-judge Justice Kuldeep Tiwari issued notice in plea by Budhiraja for quashing the case under Section 174A and also stayed proceedings against him..The order was passed after the Congress leader told the Court that he had been granted bail by the trial court in the 2018 case. The Congress leader in his plea stated that the CJM in 2022 had dismissed his application for exemption from personal appearance in an arbitrary manner and later also issued non-bailable warrants against him.After the warrants were returned unexecuted as Budhiraja was not residing at the given address, a proclamation was issued against him, the plea stated.When he later moved an application for cancellation of the warrant of arrest, the same was dismissed on the ground that he had not been present before the court..Budhiraja in his plea argued that the warrant of arrest in 2018 bailable case was issued directly without first issuing bailable warrants.Further, he also challenged the procedure followed in registration of case against him. The matter will be heard next on August 22.Advocates Partap Singh and Parth Singh represented the petitioner..Notably, during the previous hearing regarding the quashing plea, the High Court had asked Budhiraja's counsel to seek instructions on whether he was ready to surrender in the 2018 case.Subsequently, Budhiraja appeared before the Panchkula court and was granted bail in 2018 case after surrendering before the Court pursuant to non-bailable warrants issued against him.