K’taka Home Minister summoned by court over RSS remarks
Bengaluru: The Special Court for MPs and MLAs in Bengaluru has issued summons for a second time to Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge, directing him to personally appear before the court in connection with a private complaint over his alleged remarks against the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
The court, presided over by Judge Sandeep Patil, also issued summons to Congress leader Mohammed Nalpad and directed both leaders to appear on August 1.
The fresh summons were issued on Tuesday following a submission by the police regarding issuance of the earlier summons served on Priyank Kharge and Nalpad.
The case stems from a private complaint filed by Tejas Gowda, a resident of Siddapura, who alleged that statements by the two Congress leaders had tarnished the RSS’s image.
According to the complaint, Priyank Kharge had made remarks about the RSS in a post on X, while Mohammed Nalpad allegedly made defamatory statements against the organisation during an interview on a YouTube channel.
The petitioner contended that the two leaders’ comments damaged the RSS’s reputation and sought legal action against them.
This is the second time the Special Court has issued summonses to Priyank Kharge and Nalpad in the matter. The court has now directed both leaders to remain personally present before it on August 1 for further proceedings.
Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge’s controversy with the RSS centres around his demands that the organisation register itself and disclose its financial operations. The row escalated when Kharge addressed an open letter to RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat, questioning the Sangh’s institutional autonomy and funding transparency.
Kharge demanded that the RSS make its registration status, organisational structure, income and expenditure details, and assets transparent. He previously alleged that the group’s unregistered status and its Guru Dakshina collections allow it to evade taxation and financial scrutiny.
The clash has provoked intense political debate, with Kharge claiming to receive threat calls and stating that Dalits within the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are made to act subserviently to the RSS ideology.
