Delhi HC tells CJP to remove posts against BJP’s Gaurav Bhatia over ‘dimagi naxal’ claim

The Delhi High Court on Thursday expressed concern over the posts by Saurav Das, which alleged that Bhatia had described Swatantra Bhardwaj as a “dimagi naxal”.

Following the court’s observations, Das and CJP co-convenor Ashutosh Ranka agreed to remove the posts within 24 hours.

The undertaking came during the hearing of a defamation suit filed by Bhatia against Das, Ranka and CJP founder Abhijit Dipke.

Court questions unverified allegations

Justice Tushar Rao Gedela said allegations should not be made without proper verification and suggested that political and public criticism could be expressed in a more measured manner.

“There are different ways of protesting. Do you really need to go to this? You are all youngsters; you may want to express so many things. But attacking certain things without verifying may not be correct,” the judge told Das’s lawyer.

The court also noted the heightened anxiety surrounding public discourse and said young people had the right to express their views, but their arguments could sometimes be presented more articulately.

“There are other ways of handling it. You are youngsters, and you have a long way to go. Why do you want to spend time in courts?” Justice Gedela said.

AI-generated graphic sparks defamation case

The dispute centres on an AI-generated graphic posted by Das on X on September 5.

The graphic alleged that Bhatia had referred to Bhardwaj as a “dimagi naxal”.

Bhatia subsequently gave Das 24 hours to remove the post and issue an unconditional apology.

Das deleted the post but later clarified on X that the graphic had been generated using AI.

He also questioned Bhatia over whether he “disagreed” with the statement attributed to him.

Bhatia subsequently approached the Delhi High Court with a defamation suit naming Das, Ranka and Dipke.

Dipke was represented before the court by advocate Nakul Gandhi.

Court issues summons in suit

Although Bhatia sought an immediate injunction against further posts, the court did not impose such a restraint at this stage in view of the undertaking given by Das and Ranka.

The court, however, asked Meta and X to remove identical content in the future if Bhatia flags such posts.

The bench also issued summons in the defamation proceedings and sought responses from Das, Ranka and Dipke.

During the hearing, the court stressed that the defendants would have an opportunity to present their case.

“Are we not going to hear them? In the meantime, we are asking them to take down. We have told them. They have said they will take down. What else? Why would they post is the question?” the bench said.

Bhatia seeks stronger protection

Bhatia urged the court to grant an injunction, pointing out that another post had allegedly appeared while the hearing was still underway.

He argued that such conduct should not be treated leniently, particularly because the social media account involved has millions of followers.

The bench acknowledged Bhatia’s right to protect his reputation while also emphasising the need to hear the other side.

“You can come back. Why are you not having faith? A lot of people say a lot of things about courts also… I am just generally saying, people do lampooning, a lot of people have a lot of criticism; we take it,” the bench said.

“You have a right to protect your reputation; we have no doubt about that,” it added.

CJP protest context

The defamation dispute comes against the backdrop of heightened political activity involving the CJP and other political groups.

The Delhi Police on Friday detained a 21-year-old right-wing content creator accused of seriously injuring a 38-year-old man during protests at Jantar Mantar in June, according to police officials.

The detention came hours after the CJP and other politicians held a large protest at the Parliament Street police station, adding to the wider political backdrop surrounding the court proceedings.