Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], August 29 (ANI): Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge and Congress leader Mohammed Haris Nalapad appeared before a Bengaluru court on Saturday in a defamation case over alleged derogatory remarks against the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and were granted conditional bail.
The two leaders appeared before the 42nd Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (ACJM) Court in response to summons issued in connection with a private complaint filed by RSS worker Tejas A, a resident of Siddapura.
The court read out the allegations against Kharge and Nalapad during the hearing. It later granted conditional bail to both leaders on furnishing a personal bond of Rs 10,000 each.
According to the complaint, Kharge allegedly posted a derogatory remark about RSS members on X on October 14, 2025, while Nalapad allegedly made offensive remarks against the organisation on a YouTube channel.
The complainant alleged that the remarks were defamatory and had hurt the reputation and dignity of the RSS and its members.
The case relates to proceedings initiated after the Bengaluru court took cognisance of the private complaint on June 29. The XLII Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate, Special Court for MPs/MLAs, Bengaluru, took cognisance of the alleged offence of criminal defamation under Section 356 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, and issued summons to the two leaders.
Kharge has previously criticised the RSS and questioned its relationship with the BJP. He has also sought clarity from the organisation on its legal status, financial transparency and constitutional accountability.
In an earlier post on X, Kharge said the BJP "rattles" whenever the RSS faces scrutiny and alleged that the party responds defensively to questions about the organisation.
He also questioned the RSS's role during India's freedom struggle and its history of raising the national flag at its headquarters in Nagpur.
The latest case comes amid an ongoing political row after Kharge wrote an open letter to RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat seeking clarity on the organisation's legal status, financial transparency and constitutional accountability as it marks 100 years of its existence.
Kharge said an organisation claiming more than 60,000 shakhas and crores of swayamsevaks in India and abroad should meet the "highest standards of transparency, accountability and constitutional compliance". (ANI)
Priyank Kharge, Haris Nalapad appear in RSS defamation case, granted conditional bail by Bengaluru court
