The Delhi High Court reprimanded CJP leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka for posting unverified content against senior advocate and BJP leader Gaurav Bhatia.
Justice Tushar Rao Gedela heard Bhatia's Rs 2-crore civil defamation suit regarding an AI-generated graphic featuring fabricated remarks and a news agency logo.
Counsel for Das and Ranka assured the bench that the disputed social media posts would be deleted within 24 hours.
The Delhi High Court rebuked Cockroach Janta Party leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka over unverified social media posts targeting BJP leader and senior advocate Gaurav Bhatia. It urged them to delete the content rather than force a formal judicial takedown order.
Hearing a Rs 2-crore civil defamation suit filed by Bhatia in person, Justice Tushar Rao Gedela advised the two activists to voluntarily remove the posts. Counsel for Das and Ranka then told the court the disputed content would be taken down within 24 hours.
Viral Graphic Dispute
The case centres on an AI-generated post on X shared by CJP spokesperson Saurav Das on September 5, 2026. The post circulated after the high-profile arrest of Hindutva activist Swatantra Bhardwaj over an alleged assault on the father of a student protester at Jantar Mantar.
Bhatia told the court the graphic falsely showed him describing Bhardwaj as a “Dimaagi Naxal” and also alleging that Bhardwaj had “casteist poison.” He also told the bench that the defendants had manipulated an AI image and added the logo of a mainstream news agency to make the post look credible. That, Bhatia argued, was done to manufacture authenticity around words he never used.
Court’s Wider Orders
Appearing in person, Bhatia said the fabricated graphic had caused serious and continuing damage to his professional standing. He also told the court that the defendants had massive online followings, which amplified the impact of the post.
“You are youngsters. You may have anxieties. But attacking like this without verifying is not correct. There is a way to protest,” the bench remarked during the hearing before Justice Tushar Rao Gedela.
Bhatia also referred to what he described as a coordinated digital ecosystem that targets people who expose fake news graphics. In response, the court directed Meta and X Corp to quickly remove identical reposts if Bhatia flags them.
The High Court also issued formal summons in the defamation suit, seeking responses from Das, Ranka and CJP founder Abhijit Dipke as proceedings move forward.
