Delhi Court Summons Dhruv Rathee In Rs 20 Lakh Defamation Case Filed By BJP Leader

The official spokesperson of Mumbai BJP, Suresh Nakhua has filed a defamation suit of Rs. 20 Lakhs against YouTuber Dhruv Rathee for allegedly referring to him as a part of "violent and abusive trolls." The Delhi court summoned Rathee and two others in a civil defamation case.

“Issue summons of the suit and notice of the application u/o 39 Rule 1 and 2 CPC to the defendants, subject to steps by all modes i.e. PF & RC/Speed Post/ Approved Courier including electronic mode for 06.08.2024”, said district judge Gunjan Gupta in an order passed on July 19.

About the Controversy:

Rathi uploaded a video titled, 'My Reply to Godi Youtubers | Elvish Yadav | Dhruv Rathee' on his YouTube channel.  Nakhua claimed that Rathi in his video alleged that "PM Modi had hosted violent and abusive trolls like Ankit Jain, Suresh Nakhua, and Tajinder Bagga at his official residence."

About the Case:

Nakhua in his suit filed against Rathi, Google LLC, and X Corp (formerly known as Twitter) submitted that Rathi had on July 7 uploaded a video titled “My Reply to Godi Youtubers | Elvish Yadav | Dhruv Rathee” where he referred Nakhua as a part of violent and abusive trolls for “no rhyme or reason” to bring down his reputation.

Nakhua's Statement:

“Through this cunningly crafted video, a deliberate campaign to besmirch the Plaintiff's integrity and reputation is apparent, as baseless accusations and malicious connections are artfully insinuated,” Nakhua said in his suit.

Nakhua had thus sought a permanent injunction against Rathee and restraining him from posting, tweeting, publishing, creating, or sharing derogatory and harmful material on any online/offline platform regarding him or the BJP. He also prayed that a decree of damages of ₹20,00,000 is passed in his favour for the defamation caused to him.