The Delhi High Court on Thursday asked CJP leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka whether they were willing to voluntarily remove controversial social media posts linked to BJP leader and Senior Advocate Gaurav Bhatia. Both agreed to take down the posts.
Bhatia has filed a ₹2 crore defamation suit against Das and Ranka over an AI-generated graphic that carried a statement attributed to him along with his photograph. Bhatia has denied making the statement and alleged that the post damaged his reputation.
Court: Protest is allowed, but allegations should be verified
During the hearing, Justice Tushar Rao Gedela said there are several ways to protest and questioned the lawyers representing Das and Ranka about whether their clients could remove the posts themselves.
The court observed that if the posts were voluntarily removed, there would be no immediate need for an order directing their removal. The judge said everyone has the right to express an opinion, but attacking someone without verification is not appropriate.
The court also said that a person’s point should be presented clearly and in a better manner so that the intended message is properly conveyed.
Das says one post has already been deleted
The lawyer representing Saurav Das told the court that the disputed tweet had already been deleted. The court, however, pointed out that another post had also been published.
The lawyers representing both sides were then asked to take instructions from their respective clients. The court also remarked that the young people involved had studies and other work ahead of them and questioned why they should spend their time in litigation.
Court questions Dipke’s inclusion in case
The court also questioned why CJP leader Abhijeet Dipke had been made a party to the case. Dipke’s lawyer told the court that he had not posted any tweets related to the disputed matter and that there was no content against him that could form the basis of a defamation claim.
The court observed that, prima facie, there appeared to be nothing against Dipke and indicated that his name could be removed from the case.
Bhatia told the court that a copy of the lawsuit had also been provided to social media platform X. The court reiterated that the immediate allegations were primarily against Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka.
Bhatia alleges fake statement was shared with his photograph
Bhatia appeared personally before the court and argued that the matter involved serious defamation. He said the disputed content should not remain online because it had been viewed by a large number of people and had harmed his public image.
According to Bhatia, a fabricated statement was placed alongside his photograph, while the logo of a news agency was also added to the graphic to make it appear genuine.
The petition claims that the post was viewed by more than 1.32 lakh people before it was removed following objections. Bhatia has sought ₹2 crore in damages and an injunction preventing the republication or sharing of the disputed content.
What was the disputed post?
The controversy arose during the CJP’s campaign seeking action against Swatantra Bhardwaj. Saurav Das had shared a graphic featuring Bhatia’s photograph and attributed a statement to him calling Bhardwaj a “mental Naxal” and alleging that he carried the poison of casteism. The graphic also claimed that the BJP had no connection with Bhardwaj.
Bhatia denied making the statement and asked Das to remove the post and issue an unconditional apology. Das later deleted the post and said the graphic had been created using AI.
While deleting the post, Das also questioned the BJP over its position on Bhardwaj. He cited BJP ally Chirag Paswan’s alleged distancing from Bhardwaj and an FIR filed against him, and questioned why the BJP was silent on the issue.
CJP co-convener Ashutosh Ranka has been accused of resharing Das’s post and amplifying its reach.
Case linked to alleged attack on CJP activist’s father
The dispute is linked to an alleged assault involving Sanjay Kumar, father of CJP activist Nishu Azad, during a protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar on June 23. CJP has alleged that Swatantra Bhardwaj and others assaulted Kumar.
The organisation subsequently protested and demanded action and an FIR against Bhardwaj. Bhardwaj was also alleged to have threatened to “break the skull” of Kumar, a claim he later denied.
Against this backdrop, the AI-generated graphic containing the allegedly fabricated statement in Bhatia’s name was circulated on social media, prompting him to file the defamation suit.
During Thursday’s hearing, the court asked Das and Ranka to take instructions regarding removal of the posts and continued hearing the matter.
