About a month after the Punjab and Haryana High Court granted bail to his friend and co-accused Vikas Barala in Varnika Kundu Stalking and attempted abduction case, it accepted the bail plea of Ashish Kumar on Thursday.

Barala and Kumar were booked under Indian Penal Code (IPC) Sections 354 D (Stalking), 341 (Wrongful restrain), 365/511 (Attempted abduction) and Section 85 (Drunken driving) of the Motor Vehicles Act on August 5 last year. Barala was granted bail on January 11.

Kumar’s bail plea had been earlier been rejected by the Chandigarh Sessions Court on January 18. In his plea, he had said that co-accused Barala had already been granted bail by the High Court and the relief should also be extended to him on the basis of parity.

His plea had added that Kundu and her father’s statements had already been recorded by the Trial Court and that there was no chance that he could exert any pressure on them or influence the case after his release.

Opposing the argument of parity before the trial court, the public prosecutor had said that Kumar had also been booked under Section 306 (Abetment of suicide) of the IPC following an FIR registered at Hansi Police Station in Hissar.

Meanwhile, at the trial in the district court, victim’s father V K Kundu’s cross examination concluded on Tuesday. The trial court has adjourned the hearing in the case till February 20.