Bengaluru Court summons Priyank Kharge, Mohammed Nalpad in RSS defamation case

A Bengaluru court has taken cognisance of a private defamation complaint against Karnataka minister Priyank Kharge and Congress leader Mohammed Nalpad over alleged defamatory remarks against the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), while dropping proceedings against another minister, Dinesh Gundu Rao.

The order was passed on June 27 by the XLII Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate, Bengaluru City, in a complaint filed by Tejas A. The complaint named Priyank Kharge, Dinesh Gundu Rao and Mohammed Nalpad as accused.

After examining the complaint, the court took cognisance of the alleged offence under Section 356 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, against Priyank Kharge and Mohammed Nalpad. It directed that the matter be registered as a criminal case and ordered the issuance of summons to both accused.

The court has directed Priyank Kharge, listed as Accused No 1, and Mohammed Nalpad, listed as Accused No 3, to appear before it on July 21, 2026, for further proceedings.

However, the court declined to proceed against Karnataka Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao, who was named as Accused No 2 in the complaint. The proceedings against him were dropped at the stage of cognisance, though the order did not elaborate on the reasons in the details made available.

The complaint alleges that defamatory remarks were made against the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, prompting the complainant to seek criminal action against the three Congress leaders.

Following the court's order, the case will now proceed against Priyank Kharge and Mohammed Nalpad in accordance with the provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

According to the case records, the matter has been registered before the XLII Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate, Bengaluru City, under CNR No. KABC030728282025 and PCR No. 0018986/2025. The next hearing in the case has been scheduled for July 21, when the two accused have been asked to appear before the court.

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