Sangrur, July 30 -- The court of the additional chief judicial magistrate (ACJM) in Sangrur has issued a bailable warrant against Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge after he failed to appear before the court in response to summons issued in a criminal defamation case linked to his alleged remarks on Bajrang Dal during the 2023 Karnataka assembly election campaign. In an order dated July 28, the court observed that the summons issued to the accused had not been received back and that 30 days had elapsed since their issuance. Consequently, the court directed that Kharge be summoned through a bailable warrant of Rs.15,000 with one surety in the like amount. The matter has now been listed for hearing on September 19. The criminal defamation complaint was originally filed by Hitesh Bhardwaj, a resident of Sangrur, who alleged that Kharge's statements and the Congress' election manifesto for the Karnataka assembly elections contained defamatory remarks against Bajrang Dal. According to the complaint, the Congress manifesto proposed banning Bajrang Dal and allegedly compared the organisation with banned outfits....