Today (8th April), Gaurav Bhatia filed a complaint with the Delhi High Court concerning the ridicule on YouTube channels concerning the Noida court assault incident. The complaint addresses the mockery directed at him and highlights the defamatory nature of the content. The complaint highlights the responsibility of media platforms in verifying and reporting facts accurately. The case remains pending before the Delhi High Court for further deliberation.
New Delhi: The Delhi High Court today reserved its verdict on Monday regarding a plea filed by Gaurav Bhatia, a Senior Advocate and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader.
The plea sought directions for the removal of online videos alleging that Bhatia ‘beaten up’ by lawyers at a Noida Court.
Justice Neena Bansal Krishna stated that the order will be announced on April 10.
Bhatia, represented by Senior Advocate Sandeep Sethi and advocate Raghav Awasthi, personally made submissions before the Court. He emphasized that the videos/posts are causing damage to his reputation and alleged there, an underlying motive behind these videos. Bhatia also highlighted that one of the YouTube videos shows the anchors laughing.
Bhatia expressed his distress, stating,
“With each passing second these videos are online, my reputation diminishes. The media carries a weighty responsibility to confirm facts before reporting. In a particular video, the anchors can be seen laughing and ridiculing an individual who has achieved their position through diligence and sincerity.”
He further mentioned that the videos are alluding to his affiliation with the political party he associated with (BJP), despite the fact that his political ties were irrelevant to the incident in question.
The legal representatives for the YouTube channels and journalists argued that they simply exercising their right to freedom of speech, which should not be restricted unless there are clear violations of journalistic standards.
After hearing arguments from all sides, the Court reserved its verdict.
Earlier, on April 5, the High Court issued notices to several YouTube channels including Article 19 India (managed by journalist Naveen Kumar), The News Launcher, BBI News, and comedian Rajeev Nigam.
Notice also served to individuals with Twitter handles such as Sandeep Singh, Vijay Yadav, NETAFLIX, Sunita Jadhav, a parody account of actor Pankaj Tripathi, Dawood Nadaf, Drkhatra, and Virus Baba INDIA Wala.
Bhatia, in his defamation lawsuit, recounted an unfortunate incident that occurred on March 20, 2024, in the courtroom of the District Judge of Gautam Budh Nagar in Noida, where his lawyer’s band forcibly taken by an advocate in the presence of the judge.
On the same day, the YouTube channel Article 19 uploaded a video titled “Police vakeelo se chhudati, Gaurav Bhatia ki Dhulai ho chuki thi (Before police could rescue Gaurav Bhatia from lawyers, he was beaten up)”.
Similarly, the YouTube channel News Launcher uploaded a video titled “BJP Pravakta Gaurav Bhatia ko vakeelo ne koot diya, Godi Media Muh Chhupati Fir Rahi (BJP Spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia beaten up by lawyers, Godi Media is hiding its face).”
Additionally, the video by BBI News titled “Gaurav Bhatiya ke sath vakeelo ki nok jhok, Gaurav Bhatiya funny memes viral video.”
The lawsuit incorporated details of videos and social media posts made by other channels.
According to the suit, these videos gathered hundreds of thousands of views and considered defamatory in nature.
Bhatia in his legal complaint argued,
“In the video, he is accused of indecent behavior, physical assault, and dishonorable conduct, using offensive language to depict him as a thug and a disgrace. The depiction of myself as a vulnerable victim of physical violence and public humiliation in a courtroom not only causes harm but also aims to diminish my reputation and authority as a Senior Advocate and spokesperson for a political party,”
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