Hisar: Jannayak Janata Dal (JJP) leader Dr Anant Ram Barwala and his associate Surajmal have been granted default bail by a Fast Track Special Court here in a foetal sex determination case, after the police reportedly filed an incomplete challan in the court.The authorities said further action would follow in accordance with the court’s directions.Dr Barwala, who contested the last assembly elections from Barwala, was among four persons arrested on Jan 29 by a team of the district health department in Azad Nagar for allegedly conducting illegal prenatal sex determination tests.A case was registered against five accused, including one unidentified individual, under the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act. All four arrested accused have now secured bail.According to the PNDT nodal officer, Dr Anamika Bishnoi, the department had received specific inputs about illegal sex determination activities being carried out near a clinic in Azad Nagar. Acting on the information, a joint team of health officials and police conducted a raid and caught Dr Barwala and his associates.This is the sixth FIR registered against the 68-year-old doctor in connection with similar allegations. He has been acquitted in one such case. In a separate matter reported in 2023, his anticipatory bail plea was rejected by the Supreme Court, after which he spent several months in judicial custody before being granted bail.Advocate Sanjay Garg, counsel for Dr Anant Ram Barwala, said the police submitted the investigation report on the 61st day without the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) report. The court treated the submission as an incomplete challan and granted default bail to the accused, he added.Siddhant Jain, superintendent of police, said while challans under the PCPNDT Act were filed by the health department, the police would proceed further based on the court’s order.Political journey (Box)Dr Anant Ram Barwala has contested the Barwala assembly seat five times on different party tickets, but has yet to secure a win. He first entered the electoral fray in 1996 as a Haryana Vikas Party candidate, polling 19,257 votes but losing to independent candidate Reluram. He later contested as an independent in the 2000 and 2005 assembly elections, finishing third on both occasions with 14,960 and 15,401 votes, respectively. In 2009, he contested on a Rashtriya Arya Rajya Sabha Party ticket but secured only 753 votes. In the 2024 assembly elections, contesting on a JJP ticket, he polled 481 votes.MSID:: 130334400 413 |
