Delhi Courts Weekly Round Up [November 17-23, 2025]

1. [Delhi Car Blast] A Delhi Court has remanded Amir Rashid Ali, arrested in connection with the deadly Red Fort blast, to 10 days’ custody of the National Investigation Agency. Ali has been remanded to NIA custody by Principal District and Sessions judge Anju Bajaj Chandna of Patiala House Court. Ali, who hails from Samboora in Pampore, was apprehended in Delhi on Sunday, i.e. November 16, for his alleged role in facilitating the vehicle used as the car-borne improvised explosive device. As per NIA, Ali had travelled to Delhi last year to help procure the explosive-laden vehicle that detonated near the Red Fort on November 10, killing 13 people and injuring several others. Ali of Samboora in Pampore, was taken into custody in Delhi after a sustained search operation launched following the NIA’s takeover of the investigation from Delhi Police. The car used in the blast was registered in his name.

Bench: Principal District and Sessions judge Anju Bajaj Chandna

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2. [Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge] A Delhi Court has dismissed a complaint seeking criminal action against a Congress leader for his 2023 remark comparing Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the ideologies of the BJP and RSS to a “poisonous snake,” holding that neither defamation nor hate speech charges were made out. The Court concluded that the allegations did not satisfy the legal ingredients for invoking offences under Sections 153A, 153B, 295A, 499, 500, 120B and 34 of the Indian Penal Code, and that the statement fell within the realm of political criticism protected under the Constitution. The matter was listed for orders on summoning before Judicial Magistrate Preeti Rajoria of Tis Hazari Court who had previously heard arguments from the complainant’s side. The complainant, a practising Advocate and long-time RSS member, Ravinder Gupta alleged that he was personally aggrieved by a remark made by the accused on April 27, 2023 during a political event in Naregal, Gadag, Karnataka. The accused had stated that “Mr. Modi is like a poisonous snake. If you try to test whether it is poisonous or not, you will die.”

Case Title: Ravinder Gupta v. State Government of NCT of Delhi

Bench: JMFC Preeti Rajoria

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3. [Rs. 41,000 Crore Defamation Case] A Delhi Court has issued summons in a defamation suit filed by Reliance Group Chairman Anil Ambani against Cobrapost, Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. (publisher of the Economic Times), and other entities over reports alleging that his companies engaged in fraud amounting to more than ₹41,000 crore. The Court, however, refused to grant any interim injunction restraining the publications from reporting on the issue. Senior Civil Judge Vivek Beniwal of the Karkardooma Courts heard the matter today. Ambani had sought an ex parte ad-interim injunction to prevent further publication or circulation of the allegedly defamatory material. During the hearing, the Court indicated that Ambani did not have a strong enough case at this stage to justify interim relief. Following this, Advocate Vijay Aggarwal chose not to press the injunction application.

Case Title: Anil D. Ambani v. Cobrapost.com and Ors.

Bench: SCJ-cum-RC Vivek Beniwal

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4. [Delhi Red Fort Car Blast] A Special Court at Delhi’s Patiala House has remanded Jasir Bilal Wani to 10 days’ custody of the National Investigation Agency in connection with the Red Fort blast conspiracy. Bilal, described by investigators as an “active co-conspirator,” was produced before Principal District and Sessions Judge Anju Bajaj Chandna for the remand hearing. The NIA arrested Bilal in Srinagar on Monday, i.e. November 17, alleging that he provided technical expertise to support planned terror attacks. According to the agency’s statement, Bilal was involved in modifying drones and exploring ways to fabricate rockets in the period leading up to the explosion. Investigators claimed Bilal worked in close coordination with Umar un Nabi, identified as the alleged suicide bomber, and played a critical role in operational preparations for the planned “terror carnage.” The agency has described him as a key link in the conspiracy chain.

Bench: Principal District and Sessions judge Anju Bajaj Chandna

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5. [₹415 Crore PMLA Probe; Al Falah University] In a late-night hearing that continued at the residence of Additional Sessions Judge Sheetal Chaudhary Pradhan, the Delhi Court remanded Jawad Ahmad Siddiqui, Chairman and controlling authority of Al-Falah University, to 13 days of Enforcement Directorate (ED) custody in a large-scale money laundering case linked to alleged fraudulent claims of accreditation and recognition. Siddiqui was arrested at around 8.10 pm on November 18 by the ED after the agency invoked provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), alleging that the University and its controlling entities generated over ₹415 crore in proceeds of crime through deception and misrepresentation regarding its academic status. The proceedings were conducted at the Judge’s residence in compliance with an administrative order of the District & Sessions Judge for South-East Delhi. Siddiqui was produced before the court at around 11 pm, and the matter continued until 1 am before the custody order was passed. The ECIR stems from two FIRs registered by the Delhi Police Crime Branch on November 13. FIR No. 337 alleges that Al-Falah University falsely continued to claim NAAC accreditation for its colleges long after their ratings had expired. FIR No. 338 accuses the University of falsely asserting recognition under Section 12(B) of the UGC Act, though the University had never applied for or obtained such recognition.

Case Title: Directorate of Enforcement v. Jawad Ahmed Siddiqui

Bench: ASJ Sheetal Chaudhary Pradhan

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6. [Sexual Assault Accused Chaitanyananda Saraswati] Tihar Jail authorities have informed a Delhi court that self-styled godman Chaitanyananda Saraswati, accused of sexually harassing 16 students at a private management institute in southwest Delhi, is being kept in “safe and secure custody”. The clarification came after the accused told the Court that his life was under threat inside the prison. The update was submitted in a status report before Judicial Magistrate Animesh Kumar. Chaitanyananda, a former chairman of the institute, is currently in judicial custody over allegations of sexual abuse. According to the report signed by a deputy superintendent of the prison, officials interacted with him regarding his claim but he did not name or identify anyone posing the alleged threat. The authorities assured the court that jail staff had been instructed to remain vigilant and that the accused has been advised to immediately report any instance where he feels threatened or harassed. The report also noted that Chaitanyananda had expressed apprehension about his safety not just inside the jail but also in the lock-up and during transit.

Bench: Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) Animesh Kumar

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7. [Delhi 10/11 Blast] A Delhi Court has remanded three terror accused to 10 days' National Investigation Agency (NIA) custody in connection with the November 10 car blast outside the Red Fort that claimed 15 lives. The accused: Muzammil Ganaie, Adeel Rather and Shaheena Saeed, along with Maulvi Irfan Ahmed Wagay, were earlier arrested by the Jammu and Kashmir Police. The NIA took custody of the four in Srinagar and produced them before the Patiala House Courts, seeking 15 days of custodial interrogation to pursue its investigation into what it has described as a “white-collar” terror conspiracy. Principal District and Sessions Judge Anju Bajaj Chandna of Patiala House Court granted the agency 10 days of custody.

Bench: Principal District and Sessions judge Anju Bajaj Chandna

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8. [120 Bahadur] The Delhi High Court has allowed the theatrical release of the Farhan Akhtar-starrer 120 Bahadur on 21 November, while disposing of a petition challenging the CFC certification granted to the film on the ground that it presents a “distorted view of history.” The film, slated for release on 21 November 2025, is based on the valour of Major Shaitan Singh Bhati, who was posthumously awarded the Param Vir Chakra for his leadership in the Battle of Rezang La, fought on 18 November 1962 during the Sino-Indian War. A bench of Justices Prathiba M. Singh and Shail Jain recorded the petitioners’ submission that all 120 soldiers who fought in the battle have been credited in the film. The Court also noted that it would be too late to alter the film’s title, release date, or make substantial changes at the last moment, and observed that the producers have included the names of the soldiers at the end of the movie as a special tribute.

Case Title: Sanyukt Ahir Regiment Morcha & Ors v. Union of India & Ors

Bench: Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela

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9. [Raj Shamani; Personality Rights] The Delhi High Court has said it would pass an order on a plea filed by podcaster and entrepreneur Raj Shamani seeking protection of his personality rights. Shamani approached the Court seeking safeguards for the unauthorised use of his name, image, voice and likeness. Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora heard the matter and passed an injunction restraining several platforms, including. Meta Platforms, Google, X Corp, Telegram and YouTube. The Court also issued summons to these platforms. Appearing for Shamani, Senior Advocate Diya Kapur argued that AI-generated deepfakes and fake endorsements featuring Shamani were being circulated online. It was further submitted that unauthorised chatbots were impersonating him. Referring to his podcast Figuring Out with Raj Shamani, Kapur added that certain YouTube channels were misusing clips, logos and branding elements to mislead audiences. She also raised concerns about hashtags and memes being exploited to increase visibility and create confusion. However, the Court made it clear that it was not, at this stage, issuing any injunction against parody or satirical videos. Justice Arora observed that several of the impugned videos “ex facie identify themselves as parody,” and held that clubbing such material with allegations of unauthorised exploitation of personality and publicity rights would “embarrass the trial,” as the nature of the claims and the corresponding defences available to the parties were fundamentally distinct.

Case Title: RaJ Shamani and Ors v Ashok Kumar

Bench: Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora

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10. [Anjana Om Kashyap] The Delhi High Court has issued a permanent injunction in favour of senior journalist and Aaj Tak Managing Editor (Special Projects) Anjana Om Kashyap, restraining a YouTube channel that was impersonating her through deepfake technology. Justice Tejas Karia passed the order while dealing with a suit filed by T.V. Today Network Ltd. and Kashyap alleging misuse of her personality rights, deepfake videos, and unauthorised use of her photographs. The Court noted that an unknown individual operating the YouTube channel “@AnajanaomKashya” had been using fabricated news clips, altered videos, and images in a manner that deliberately misrepresented them as content created or endorsed by Kashyap. The Court had earlier granted an ad-interim injunction on June 20, 2025 and directed Google LLC to take down the channel and disclose the basic subscriber information of the uploader. In its final order, the High Court emphasised the grave risk of misinformation posed by such impersonation, especially when it involves a well-known journalist.

Case Title: TV Today Network Limited & Anr. v. Google LLC & Ors.

Bench: Justice Tejas Karia

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