Delhi HC was hearing BJP spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia’s ₹2 crore defamation suit against CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke and co-convenors Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka
The Delhi High Court on Thursday asked Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka to voluntarily take down social media posts concerning BJP national spokesperson and senior advocate Gaurav Bhatia.
The two CJP leaders agreed to remove the posts within 24 hours following the court’s suggestion.
The matter came up during the hearing of a ₹2 crore defamation suit filed by Bhatia against CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke and co-convenors Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka. Bhatia has sought damages as well as the removal of the allegedly defamatory posts.
What did the Delhi High Court say?
Justice Tushar Rao Gedela suggested that the CJP leaders remove the posts voluntarily instead of the court passing a formal order directing them to do so.
The judge also advised the young leaders to be more careful while expressing their views publicly and stressed the importance of verifying facts before posting content on social media.
The court observed that there are different ways of protesting and that criticism or disagreement can be expressed in a more articulate and responsible manner.
The judge also questioned whether the young leaders should spend their time dealing with court proceedings when they could instead focus on their studies and other activities.
Bhatia’s defamation case
Bhatia had approached the Delhi High Court seeking ₹2 crore in damages from CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke, along with Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka.
The case relates to social media posts that Bhatia has alleged were defamatory and damaging to his reputation. The dispute has also been linked to controversy over an allegedly AI-generated graphic carrying remarks attributed to Bhatia, which he has said were fake.
During Thursday’s hearing, Bhatia described the matter as one of “aggravated defamation“. However, the court also questioned why an attempt had not been made to resolve the issue outside court before filing the case.
CJP leaders agree to remove posts
Following the court’s suggestion, counsel representing Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka informed the court that the two would take down the disputed posts.
The posts are to be removed within 24 hours, bringing a temporary resolution to the immediate issue before the court.
The court’s intervention comes amid growing concerns over the manner in which political criticism and allegations are shared on social media, particularly when information has not been independently verified.
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