# Punjab and Haryana High Court Stays Defamation Case Against Kharge 2026-08-06T18:30:43+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet The Punjab and Haryana High Court has stayed criminal defamation proceedings against Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge in a Sangrur court. Justice Aman Chaudhary issued notice and ordered the stay until the next hearing, listed for 26 November 2026. The complaint followed Kharge’s comments about the Bajrang Dal during the 2023 Karnataka Assembly election campaign and was filed by Sangrur resident Hitesh Bhardwaj. Kharge’s petition seeks to quash the complaint, summoning order and related proceedings. His lawyers argued that the magistrate gave no pre-summoning hearing, failed to consider a required inquiry because Kharge lives outside the court’s jurisdiction, and issued a non-speaking order. These are allegations by the petitioner, not findings on the merits. ## Coverage - livelaw.in Tags: Bajrang Dal, Congress, defamation case, Mallikarjun Kharge, Punjab and Haryana High Court Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/punjab-and-haryana-high-court-stays-defamation-case-against-kharge/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/punjab-and-haryana-high-court-stays-defamation-case-against-kharge/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.