Now Reading: Punjab and Haryana High Court Stays Defamation Case Against Kharge
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Punjab and Haryana High Court Stays Defamation Case Against Kharge
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…
The Story in Brief
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.
The Indian Opinion
Political speech should not receive immunity from defamation law, but criminal process must also follow basic safeguards before a person is summoned. Claims that the case is either proof of persecution or proof of guilt run ahead of the record. The immediate test is whether the High Court finds defects in the magistrate’s procedure, especially the required inquiry and reasons for summoning Kharge. That order will matter more than campaign rhetoric.
Source: livelaw.in
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
