Lagatar24 Desk
Sangrur, May 15: In a Rs 100 crore defamation case filed by Hitesh Bhardwaj, the founder of Hindu Suraksha Parishad, Punjab’s local court in Sangrur on Monday issued summons to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge.
The court asked that the head of the Congress appear before it on July 10.
Bhardwaj has asked the Congress leader for monetary compensation in the amount of Rs 100 crore plus interest as well as Rs 10 lakh as legal fees for allegedly harming the reputation of Bajrang Dal Hind by lumping the group in with illegal organisations like the Popular Front of India (PFI) and other “Talibani” groups in the election manifesto the Congress released prior to the most recent Assembly elections in Karnataka.
“The allegation in form of comparison of Bajrang Dal Hind with PFI and other Talibani organization without any basic greatly maims and impairs the name and honour of the members of Bajrang Dal Hind and the Hindu Suraksha Parishad who number in the crores and also defames the followers of Lord Hanuman Ji who are reverentially worshipped by crores of Hindu practitioners as well as practitioners of Dharmic and Indian Religions who number more than one billion,” said Bhardwaj, the plaintiff.
In its manifesto earlier this month, the Congress party stated that if elected to power, it will take “decisive action” in accordance with the law, including banning organisations like the Bajrang Dal, the Popular Front of India, and others.