A Bengaluru court took cognizance of a criminal defamation complaint against Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge and Youth Congress leader Mohammed Nalapad over alleged RSS remarks. The court found sufficient grounds under Section 356 of BNS and issued summons for appearance on July 21, 2026.
A Bengaluru court has taken cognizance of a criminal defamation complaint filed against Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge and Youth Congress leader Mohammed Nalapad over alleged remarks targeting the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). The Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (ACJM), Sandeep Patil, on June 27, found sufficient grounds to proceed against Kharge and Nalapad under Section 356 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, which deals with the offence of criminal defamation.
Following the court’s decision to take cognizance, summons have been issued to both accused, directing them to appear before the court on July 21, 2026. The court, however, declined to continue proceedings against former Karnataka Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao, dropping the complaint against him after finding insufficient grounds for further action.
While passing the order, the court formally registered the matter as a criminal case against Kharge and Nalapad.
The court stated:
“Cognizance is taken of the offence punishable under Section 356 of BNS, 2023 against accused Nos.1 and 3. The proceedings against accused No.2 is dropped. Office is directed to register this case as a criminal case and issue summons to accused Nos.1 and 3, returnable by July 21, 2026,”
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The order means that the court has found a prima facie case requiring the accused to face legal proceedings. It does not amount to a final determination of guilt.
Background of the Defamation Complaint
The complaint was filed by Bengaluru resident A Tejas, who identifies himself as an RSS worker. The complainant alleged that several statements made by Priyank Kharge and Mohammed Nalapad in October 2025 were defamatory and lowered the reputation of the RSS and its members.
According to the complaint, Kharge, who was serving as a minister at the time, wrote to the Karnataka government on October 4, 2025, requesting restrictions on the RSS using government-controlled spaces such as playgrounds, schools and colleges for activities. The complainant alleged that the communication was intentionally made public through media circulation and social media platforms with the aim of damaging the image of the organisation.
The complaint referred to posts allegedly shared by Kharge on social media platforms on October 13 and 14.
One of the posts quoted in the complaint stated:
“Never befriend an RSS member. Not only friend, even if it is your family… They are the real abusers.”
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Another post allegedly claimed that the RSS had not spared national figures such as Mahatma Gandhi and Dr B R Ambedkar. The complainant argued that such statements portrayed RSS members in a negative manner and caused harm to the organisation’s reputation. He alleged that the remarks were false, malicious and intended to create public hostility against RSS workers and supporters.
The complaint also referred to statements allegedly made by Youth Congress leader Mohammed Nalapad during a media interaction. According to the complainant, Nalapad allegedly made a controversial remark stating that RSS members “have nothing beneath their shorts.“
The complainant described the statement as offensive, insulting and aimed at humiliating members of the organisation. He alleged that the remarks crossed the boundaries of permissible criticism and amounted to defamatory speech.
The complainant claimed that the statements made by the accused were not only defamatory but also continued to remain available online, increasing their alleged impact. He further argued that the accused persons neither withdrew the statements nor issued any apology, resulting in continued damage to the reputation of the RSS and its members. The complaint sought criminal action for defamation, alleging that the remarks were made deliberately and with an intention to harm the organisation’s standing.
The complaint had also named former Karnataka Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao. The allegations against Rao related to his social media posts supporting Kharge and raising questions about the RSS in the context of the killings of rationalists and journalist Gauri Lankesh, along with activists Govind Pansare and M M Kalburgi.
However, after examining the material placed before it, the court found that there were insufficient grounds to proceed against Rao and dropped the case against him.
The proceedings against Kharge and Nalapad will now continue before the Bengaluru court, where the accused will have the opportunity to contest the allegations.
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