Arrest warrant issued on Mallikarjun Kharge: Comparison of Bajrang Dal with PFI proved costly, will have to appear on September 19

Sangrur court in Punjab has issued an arrest warrant against Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge. He has been asked to appear by September 19. Kharge himself will have to come to the court and seek bail. If he does not appear on the scheduled date, a non-bailable warrant can also be issued against him. The court has issued a bailable warrant of Rs 15,000 against Mallikarjun Kharge. As per the court order, Kharge will have to appear in the court in person on September 19, 2026. What is the whole matter and why has the controversy increased? Difficulties seem to be increasing for Congress Party National President Mallikarjun Kharge. A local court in Sangrur, Punjab has issued an arrest warrant against Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge. This entire matter is related to a controversial statement given during the Karnataka Assembly elections in the year 2023. At that time the Congress Party had promised to ban Bajrang Dal in its election manifesto. During this election environment, Mallikarjun Kharge had compared Bajrang Dal with the banned organization Popular Front of India i.e. PFI in a public meeting. As soon as this statement of Kharge came out, there was a huge political uproar across the country and many Hindu organizations had expressed strong objection to it. Sangrur court’s big order and legal hassles Hitesh Bhardwaj, a resident of Sangrur and an activist associated with Bajrang Dal, had filed a formal complaint in the local court in protest against this statement comparing Bajrang Dal with PFI. The complainant alleged that this statement of Mallikarjun Kharge is hurting the religious sentiments of crores of people and tarnishing the image of a nationalist organization like Bajrang Dal. Earlier this legal dispute was being considered only as a matter of civil nature, but now the Sangrur court has considered it as a matter of serious criminal nature and has started further strict legal action. According to the new order of the court, a bail warrant of Rs 15,000 has been issued against Mallikarjun Kharge and he will have to personally appear in the court on 19 September 2026 and seek bail himself. If Kharge does not appear before the court on the scheduled date, a strict non-bailable warrant can also be issued against him, further adding to his legal troubles.