Gaurav Bhatia Moves Delhi HC Over Derogatory Social Media Posts After Viral TV Appearance

Senior Advocate and BJP leader Gaurav Bhatia on Tuesday, September 23, 2025, approached the Delhi High Court seeking removal of allegedly defamatory social media posts that surfaced after a recent television debate featuring him went viral.

Justice Amit Bansal, who heard the plea, stated that the court would pass an order on Thursday, September 25, after reviewing the list of impugned URLs. The judge indicated that defamatory content making crude references to Bhatia’s private parts may be directed to be taken down, whereas satirical or sarcastic commentary not amounting to defamation would not be interfered with.

The controversy arises from Bhatia’s participation in a News18 debate on September 12, where a camera angle appeared to show him seated in a kurta without visible trousers. The clip was widely circulated online and prompted a series of derogatory remarks.

Appearing for Bhatia, Advocate Raghav Awasthi emphasised the reputational harm, arguing that reputation is earned over decades. He submitted that Bhatia had appeared in proper attire, namely a kurta and shorts, but that the camera angle created an unfortunate impression.

Awasthi further contended that the incident occurred inside Bhatia’s private residence and that the subsequent circulation of the video amounted to an invasion of privacy. He stressed that Bhatia was particularly aggrieved by references to male private parts, maintaining that such expressions have no place in civil public discourse.

Court directed Awasthi to place on record a comprehensive list of the allegedly offending posts and links.

In his defamation suit, Bhatia has sought removal of content shared by the Samajwadi Party media cell, the digital platform Newslaundry, political leaders including AAP’s Saurabh Bharadwaj and Congress’ Ragini Nayak, as well as journalist Abhisar Sharma.

The matter will be heard next on September 25, when the Court is expected to decide on the application for interim relief.

Case Title: Gaurav Bhatia v. Samajwadi Party Media Cell & Ors

Bench: Justice Amit Bansal

Hearing Date: 23 September 2025