Today, Punjab Court summoned Congress party Chief Mallikarjun Kharge in a ₹100 core defamation case filed by Hitesh Bhardwaj, the founder of Hindu Suraksha Parishad, against him for allegedly making defamatory remarks against Bajrang Dal during the recently concluded Karnataka elections. 

The Sangrur district court summoned the Congress President after a complaint from Hitesh Bhardwaj, the president of an outfit called "Bajrang Dal Hindustan."

The court of civil judge (senior division) Justice Ramandeep Kaur has directed Kharge to appear before the court in Sangrur on July 10. 

Earlier, in MAY, the Chandigarh unit of Vishva Hindu Parishad and its youth wing Bajrang Dal accused him of making defamatory remarks against the Bajrang Dal in his party's Karnataka poll manifesto. VHP even demanded compensation of more than ₹100 crore.

In its poll manifesto for May 10 assembly polls in Karnataka, Congress has said that it is committed to taking firm and decisive action against individuals and organizations such as the Bajrang Dal and the Popular Front of India (PFI) for allegedly 'spreading hatred' among communities on grounds of caste and religion.

"That in the manifesto on Page 10, you made defamatory statements against the Bajrang Dal, the associate body of the Vishva Hindu Parishad by declaring to ban the organization and comparing it to outlawed terrorist organizations like the Popular Front of India and similar terrorist organizations like Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) which are outlawed under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act by the Government of India," VHP's lawyer and co-head of its legal cell Sahil Bansal charged in the legal notice.