Punjab: Sangrur Court summons Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge in Rs 100 cr defamation case

The court has asked Congress chief to appear before it on July 10.

Punjab's local court in Sangrur on Monday issued summons to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge in a Rs 100 crore defamation case filed by Hitesh Bhardwaj, the founder of Hindu Suraksha Parishad. The court has asked Congress chief to appear before it on July 10.

Bhardwaj, has sought financial compensation of Rs 100 crore plus interest along with Rs 10 lakh as legal fees from the Congress chief for allegedly damaging the reputation of Bajrang Dal Hind by bracketing the organization with outlawed organizations like Popular Front of India (PFI) and other "Talibani" organizations in the poll manifesto released by the Congress ahead of the recent Assembly elections in Karnataka. "The allegation in form of comparison of Bajrang Dal Hind with PFI and other Talibani organization without any basic greatly maims and impairs the name and honour of the members of Bajrang Dal Hind and the Hindu Suraksha Parishad who number in the crores and also defames the followers of Lord Hanuman Ji who are reverentially worshipped by crores of Hindu practitioners as well as practitioners of Dharmic and Indian Religions who number more than one billion," said Bhardwaj, the plaintiff.

The Congress party earlier this month, in the run-up to the Karnataka elections, mentioned in its manifesto that it will take "decisive action" as per law including banning organisations like Bajrang Dal, the Popular Front of India and others if voted to power. Previously, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had lost his membership in Lok Sabha after being convicted by Surat's Sessions Court for two years in a criminal defamation case.

The case pertained to a remark Rahul Gandhi made using the surname 'Modi' while addressing a campaign event ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. At a rally in Karnataka's Kolar in April 2019, Rahul, in a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said, "How come all the thieves have Modi as the common surname?". (ANI)

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