Senior Advocate and BJP member, Gaurav Bhatia, has taken legal action against multiple social media users and YouTube channels, filing a defamation case with the Delhi High Court.
The case arises from what Bhatia claims to be defamatory content circulated about him following an assault incident last month during a lawyers' strike at the Gautam Budh Nagar District & Sessions Court.
Justice Neena Bansal Krishna, presiding over the case, issued summons to the involved parties and noted Bhatia's request for interim relief, although no immediate ex parte order was granted.
The plea for interim relief is now scheduled to be heard on April 8.
The Supreme Court has already taken suo motu cognisance of the assault.
Bhatia's petition names individuals and entities including Naveen Kumar of Article 19 India, Neelu Vyas of The News Launcher, Professor Akhil Swami, and YouTube channels such as Rajeev Nigam and BBI News.
X users listed as defendants include Sandeep Singh, Vijay Yadav, Netaflix, among others.
Bhatia demands a permanent injunction to restrain the defendants from making what Bhatia describes as "abusive and defamatory statements" against him on digital platforms like YouTube and X.
"That the video in question has amassed approximately 1,142,045 views and over 52,000 likes from the public, signalling significant engagement and the potential for considerable harm to the Plaintiff's reputation, livelihood, and overall well-being due to the widespread dissemination of defamatory material on a highly popular platform," petition reads.
"That the present video contains egregious and defamatory allegations against Plaintiff, aiming to tarnish his reputation and integrity in a reprehensible manner. It accuses him of indecent behaviour, physical assault, and dishonourable conduct, employing derogatory language to paint him as a thug and a disgrace," it further says.
Moreover, the petition calls on Google LLC and X to remove the allegedly defamatory materials from their platforms.
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