Court Urges Defendants to Voluntarily Remove Defamatory Content in Bhatia Case

The Delhi High Court urged defendants in a defamation lawsuit filed by BJP leader Gaurav Bhatia to consider voluntary removal of the disputed social media posts. Bhatia's case accuses certain individuals of defamation through AI-generated content, arguing it damages his reputation. The court sought a more articulate approach to criticism.

The Delhi High Court on Thursday advised defendants in senior advocate and BJP leader Gaurav Bhatia's defamation lawsuit to voluntarily take down the contentious social media posts. The court highlighted the importance of articulating criticism more effectively while hearing Bhatia's Rs 2-crore suit against several individuals, including Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka.

Justice Tushar Rao Gedela scrutinized the inclusion of defendant Abhijeet Dipke, questioning the basis for his involvement since no specific posts from him were identified. The court suggested Dipke's removal from the case, emphasizing the allegations were primarily against Das and Ranka, prompting their counsel to consider instructions for post removal.

Bhatia argued the posts caused reputational harm, particularly because they contained AI-generated content that misleadingly attributed statements to him. Despite the initial deletion of some tweets, Bhatia maintained that ongoing damages required court intervention to ensure the posts' permanent removal.