Divyanshu Budhiraja, the Youth Congress president who is contesting against former Chief Minister Manohar Lal of the BJP for the Karnal Lok Sabha seat, has been declared a proclaimed offender in Panchkula following a case filed in 2023.
The incident stems from an FIR registered against Congress leader Divyanshu Budhiraja at the Sector 14 police station in Panchkula for defacement. The complaint was filed by MC Commissioner Rajesh Jogpal, who alleged that Budhiraja, then president of the Haryana unit of the National Students Association of India (NSUI), had erected a hoarding without permission at the Sector 14 roundabout. Filing of (DIVYANSHU BUDHIRAJA V/S STATE OF HARYANA) has been received in Filing Branch with Diary no(s) U-10203403.
In response to the matter, Divyanshu stated that he was unaware of the case and resides in Panchkula. He emphasized that if the Panchkula police intended to arrest him, they could have done so, but he was never informed by the authorities. He revealed that he has filed a challenge petition in the High Court against the allegations, with the case scheduled for a hearing on Monday.
The Panchkula court initiated proclamation proceedings against Budhiraja in a five-year-old case of property defacement in 2023. The orders issued by Chief Judicial Magistrate Dr. Rajni Kaushal noted that adequate opportunities had been provided for the execution of warrants of arrest against Budhiraja. The court concluded that the accused had prior knowledge of the pending case and appeared to be intentionally evading service. Consequently, a proclamation under Section 82(1) of the CrPC 1973 was issued against Budhiraja, requiring him to appear before the court within 30 days of the proclamation’s publication.
The Haryana Police had until November 20 last year to execute the order. In January 2018, during his tenure as NSUI president, Budhiraja and his associates were released on bail in connection with a criminal case for opposing Former CM Manohar Lal Khattar in Panchkula. The NSUI had erected hoardings and banners at roundabouts without permission, leading to a defacement case being registered at the Sector 14 police station.