Priyank Kharge says no cases against RSS because it has no formal legal identity

Karnataka home minister Priyank Kharge has said that the absence of criminal cases registered against the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh reflects its lack of a formal legal identity rather than establishing that no individuals associated with it have faced allegations.

Kharge made the remarks after the Karnataka BJP cited his written reply in the Legislative Council stating that no cases involving communal riots or other crimes had been registered against the RSS.

The reply was given to leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council Chalavadi Narayanaswamy, who had sought details of cases against the RSS, its alleged involvement in communal violence and any untoward incidents reported during its route marches and daily gatherings.

“There are no cases registered,” Kharge said in the written response.

The BJP used the reply to question Kharge’s criticism of the RSS. Responding on X, however, the minister said the question itself ignored the organisation’s legal status.

“If you ask about an organisation that has no formal legal existence, naturally the answer is: ‘No’,” Kharge said. He argued that the absence of registration meant there was no registered legal entity against which cases could be recorded in the organisation’s name.

Kharge said the RSS was not registered and did not issue formal membership cards. Consequently, when people associated with the organisation were accused of offences, cases were filed against them individually rather than against the RSS, he said.

The minister also questioned whether Bengaluru’s Keshava Krupa and Delhi’s Keshav Kunj were registered in the RSS’s name, answering both questions in the negative.

According to Kharge, this distinction lies at the heart of his demand for greater transparency from the organisation.

“Influence without accountability. Assets without ownership in its own name. Members without formal membership. Power without accountability,” he wrote.

Kharge said an organisation exercising considerable influence over society should be brought within a transparent legal framework. He renewed his call for the RSS to register itself and disclose its accounts, assets, sources of funding and liabilities.

The minister also asked why the organisation was reluctant to register and submit itself to legal, financial and tax scrutiny. He further questioned the lack of publicly available information about its sources of funding.

Kharge said cases, including those registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, had been filed against individuals described or identified as RSS functionaries. He maintained that the relevant question was not how many cases had been registered against the RSS as an entity, but how many people associated with the organisation or its affiliates had faced criminal cases.

“That list will take a long time to compile. But I will give it to you,” Kharge said.

With PTI inputs