Delhi High Court Directs CJP Leaders To Remove Posts on BJP Leader Gaurav Bhatia
<p>Delhi High Court directs CJP leaders to remove posts against BJP’s Gaurav Bhatia amid defamation dispute.</p>
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Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) co-convenors Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka agreed on 10 September 2026 to remove certain social media posts targeting Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national spokesperson and senior advocate Gaurav Bhatia. The decision followed oral observations by the Delhi High Court during a hearing on Bhatia’s ₹2 crore defamation suit, which alleged that the posts contained false statements attributed to him. The court did not issue a formal takedown order but encouraged voluntary compliance.
According to Deccan Herald, Justice Tushar Rao Gedela remarked that while young people have the right to express themselves, such expression must be verified and conveyed responsibly. The court noted that the posts in question, including a graphic wrongly attributed to Bhatia, should be removed within 24 hours, as assured by the CJP leaders’ counsel.
As reported by Scroll, the court suggested that Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka voluntarily delete the disputed posts rather than face a formal order. The bench emphasized the importance of verifying information before sharing it publicly, especially when reputations are at stake.
As highlighted by The Indian Express, the court also questioned why CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke was named in the suit, observing that there was no material against him in the posts objected to by Bhatia. The judge advised Bhatia that alternative dispute resolution methods could have been considered before approaching the court.
"There are different ways of protesting. You are all youngsters. You may have anxieties. But attacking like this without verifying is not correct," the court stated, as cited in multiple reports.
During the proceedings, coverage revealed that Das had already deleted the AI-generated post and clarified its origin, but Bhatia insisted on an unconditional apology. Bhatia warned that failure to apologise could result in further legal action, including the filing of an FIR.
The court’s order, as details emerged, also directed social media platforms Meta and X to remove any identical posts flagged by Bhatia in the future. The court issued summons to Das, Ranka, and Dipke, instructing them to respond to the defamation suit.
Further reporting indicated that Saurav Das is also facing a separate contempt petition in the Punjab and Haryana High Court for a different social media post, unrelated to the Bhatia matter, which allegedly imputed political motives to a judicial order.
"We are not saying that we are finishing your application. We are providing them an opportunity and, in the meanwhile, we have told them to take down (the posts)," Justice Gedela told Bhatia, according to court records.
Additional analysis showed that the dispute originated after Das posted a graphic claiming Bhatia had called right-wing influencer Swatantra Bhardwaj a “dimagi naxal.” Bhatia denied making such remarks and demanded the post’s removal and an apology. Das deleted the post but did not issue an apology, leading to the legal proceedings.
The court clarified following reports that it was not imputing any wrongdoing to the CJP leaders at this stage and that the matter would proceed based on their responses to the suit.
Note: This article is produced using AI-assisted tools and is based on publicly available information. It has been reviewed by The Quint's editorial team before publishing.