CJP Leaders Agree to Delete Posts Against Gaurav Bhatia in Delhi HC Defamation Case

Two leaders of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, have undertaken before the Delhi High Court to remove social media posts targeting BJP leader and senior advocate Gaurav Bhatia, including a disputed post carrying a purported quote attributed to him.

Justice Tushar Rao Gedela recorded the undertaking on Thursday while hearing Bhatia's ₹2-crore defamation suit. Bhatia appeared in person before the court. The judge directed that the posts be taken down within 24 hours.

The development followed the court's earlier oral suggestion that both Das and Ranka take instructions on removing the posts on X on their own. When the matter resumed after a passover, counsel for Das said the tweets against the senior advocate would be deleted.

In a post on X, Das said the court had suggested removing a post featuring a photograph of Bhatia, and that both he and Ranka had voluntarily undertaken to delete the posts. He added that they were awaiting a copy of the order.

The court observed that there are different ways of protesting and told the defendants that while they have a right to express themselves, their expressions sometimes need to be put in a more articulate manner so that the intended message is conveyed properly.

Counsel for Das submitted that the tweet in question had already been deleted. The court, however, pointed out that another post had also been put out. The court also questioned the presence of Abhijeet Dipke as a defendant and asked what material had been posted by him. Counsel for Dipke submitted that not a single tweet by him formed part of the dispute.

Bhatia told the court that the case involved aggravated defamation and that the allegedly fabricated material could not remain online as it was causing damage to his reputation and had been viewed by a large number of people. He alleged that his photograph had been used with a fabricated statement and that the logo of a news organisation was used in the graphic, allegedly giving the content credibility.

Bhatia sought directions to social media platforms X and Meta to remove the allegedly fabricated picture and similar content. Counsel for Meta submitted that the platform could not proactively take down photographs or content without a specific basis or legal direction. The court granted Bhatia liberty to approach the social media platforms in respect of similar content.

The suit arises from an allegedly AI-generated graphic circulated on X which, according to Bhatia, falsely attributed remarks concerning Swatantra Bhardwaj to him. Bhatia has denied making the remarks and alleged that his photograph was used alongside the purported statement, creating a false impression that he was its author.

According to the plaint, the disputed post was published on September 5 and received more than 1.32 lakh views. Bhatia had sought its removal and an unconditional apology before approaching the court. The suit seeks ₹2 crore in damages as well as permanent and mandatory injunctions against the defendants. The allegations made by Bhatia are yet to be adjudicated by the court.