NEW DELHI: The Delhi HC on Wednesday directed the Congress and Aam Aadmi Party to remove within 24 hours social media posts linking BJP leader Dushyant Kumar Gautam to the 2022 Ankita Bhandari murder case.
In an interim order passed on a defamation lawsuit by Gautam, Justice Mini Pushkarna also restrained the two political parties from posting any content targeting the BJP national secretary as the alleged “VIP” in the murder case. The judge passed the ad-interim ex parte order in favour of Gautam after finding that a prima facie case of defamation was made out.
“Considering the facts and circumstances, a prima facie case exists… The balance of convenience lay in favour of the plaintiff, and irreparable injury would be caused if immediate restraint was not granted,” the judge observed.
The suit filed by Gautam, which seeks damages of `2 crore, claims that his reputation was severely damaged by a coordinated campaign carried out by a national political party with millions of followers. According to his suit, the defendants “falsely” alleged that Gautam was the alleged “VIP” involved in the 2022 case.
“While allegations by individuals were damaging, the harm caused by a national political party holding press conferences and amplifying such claims on its official social media platforms was far graver,” the suit noted, adding that “defamatory material” related to the case circulating was garnering millions of views online.
On Wednesday, the senior counsel appearing for Gautam argued that his “impeccable reputation” of five decades was being tarnished by the Congress, AAP and others by linking him to a murder case in which conviction had already happened after a trial.
Calling it “outright defamation,” he emphasised that Gautam’s name never came up in the investigation and the defendants’ social media posts were damaging his reputation.
“It is a matter of grave concern that political parties are carrying out press conferences and circulating video clips and defamatory posts without verifying facts and making further malicious allegations in complete absence of any substantial material,” the lawsuit said.
The matter would be next heard on May 4.
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