Delhi Courts Weekly Round Up [August 18-24, 2025]

Case Title: State v. Akil Ahmed @ Papad & Ors.

Bench: ASJ Parveen Singh, Karkardooma Courts

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2. [Arnab Goswami Defamation Case] A Delhi Court has ordered the Delhi Police to conduct an inquiry against Times Now Group Editor-in-Chief Navika Kumar in a defamation case filed by Arnab Goswami’s company, ARG Outlier Media Private Limited. The direction was passed by Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (ACJM) Siddhant Sihag of Patiala House Courts, who invoked powers under Section 202 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) and Section 225 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023. The complaint stems from a Times Now broadcast aired on January 18, 2020, during the prime-time show The Newshour. ARG Outlier Media alleged that Kumar made a series of defamatory and unsubstantiated statements against Goswami in relation to the alleged Television Rating Points (TRP) manipulation scam. The company further claimed that Kumar misrepresented the contents of the Mumbai Police chargesheet in a deliberate attempt to malign both Goswami and Republic TV.

Case Title: ARG Outlier Media Pvt. Ltd. v. Navika

Bench: Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (ACJM) Sidhant Sihag

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3. [Sexually Explicit Video of District Judge] A Delhi Court, in a departmental; inquiry of a staffer, identified only as “Ms A” in the report, of all misconduct charges arising from a viral video allegedly showing her in a compromising situation with a judge. It is to be noted that on March 9, 2022, an sexually explicit video, wherein a District Judge was seen in a compromising position with staff in his chamber, had been circulated on various social media platforms and web portals. The Inquiry Officer, a District Judge Ajay Pandey of the Tis Hazari Courts, submitted the report to the Principal District & Sessions Judge (HQs), Tis Hazari, concluding the department “failed to establish any article of charge” against the woman.

Report Title: Department v. Ms. A

Bench: District Judge Ajay Pandey (Inquiry Officer)

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4. [MF Husain Paintings] A Delhi Sessions Court has refused to direct police investigation into a complaint against Delhi Art Gallery for displaying two paintings by late artist MF Husain, alleged to have hurt Hindu sentiments. Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) Saurabh Pratap Singh Laler of Patiala House Court in an order dated August 19, upheld a Magistrate’s January 22 decision to treat the plea filed by advocate Amita Sachdeva as a private complaint case rather than ordering an FIR. Sachdeva claimed that the paintings, which she viewed at the gallery on December 4, 2024, were offensive. Though she later visited the gallery with the investigating officer, the artworks had allegedly been removed. The police, in its action taken report, said the paintings were part of a private exhibition of original works, and while the canvases were subsequently seized, no cognizable offence was made out.

Case Title: Amita Sachdeva v. State of NCT of Delhi and Ors.

Bench: Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) Saurav Pratap Singh Laller

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5. [Influencer Sandeepa Virk] Sandeepa Virk has been remanded to judicial custody until September 1, 2025, by Delhi's Tis Hazari court, following four days of intense questioning by the Directorate of Enforcement (ED). She was taken into custody by the ED on August 12, 2025, under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA) and remanded to ED custody till August 14. According to the ED, Virk is accused of obtaining immovable property through deceptive practices and is believed to be the proprietor of hyboocare.com. This website, which ostensibly retailed FDA-approved beauty products, has been flagged by investigators as a potential front, with evidence suggesting the products advertised do not exist.

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6. [PM Narendra Modi Degree Row] The Delhi High Court has deferred pronouncement of its judgment in a plea filed by Delhi University (DU) challenging the Central Information Commission’s (CIC) order that had directed the varsity to allow inspection of records of all students who passed the BA exam in 1978, the year Prime Minister Narendra Modi is stated to have graduated. Justice Sachin Datta, who had reserved the order on February 27, was scheduled to deliver the verdict at 2:30 pm today. However, the pronouncement was deferred as the judge was sitting in the UAPA Tribunal and not holding regular court. Justice Sachin Datta, who had reserved the order on February 27, was scheduled to deliver the verdict at 2:30 pm today. However, the pronouncement was deferred as the judge was sitting in the UAPA Tribunal and not holding regular court.

Case Title: University of Delhi v. Neeraj & Anr.

Bench: Justice Sachin Datta

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7. [ANI vs OPENAI] The Delhi High Court has heard arguments in the ongoing copyright infringement suit filed by ANI Media Pvt. Ltd. against OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT. The case, which could reshape the future of copyright law in the age of artificial intelligence, drew widespread attention from India’s news publishing industry. Appearing before Justice Amit Bansal, the Digital News Publishers Association (DNPA) warned that unchecked use of copyrighted news content by AI platforms like ChatGPT “reduced the incentive to create” and undermined both the viability and creativity of journalism. Advocate Rajshekhar Rao, representing DNPA, argued that ChatGPT freely used journalistic content without consent or compensation, threatening the survival of news organisations. “Today we are dealing with something that says it is ChatGPT but effectively reduces my incentive to create, because whatever I do is being taken away… ChatGPT is, in fact, on a lighter note, Chaat GPT,” Rao said.

Case Title: ANI Media Pvt. Ltd. v. OpenAI OpCo LLC

Bench: Justice Amit Bansal

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8. [Ozempic Scam] The Delhi High Court has granted protection from coercive action to businessman Vicky Ramancha, accused of duping US-based Assure Global LLC of USD 18.8 million through the supply of counterfeit doses of the anti-diabetic drug Ozempic.Ramancha stands accused of running a sophisticated transnational fraud operation that allegedly caused financial losses exceeding USD 18.8 million to Assure Global LLC. It is alleged that he created fraudulent certificates of origin and trade documentation to build credibility, initially making partial deliveries to win trust before escalating to larger fraudulent transactions. The scheme involved inducing the complainant company to pay USD 18,834,382 for pharmaceutical consignments, then supplying counterfeit Ozempic drugs, which were subsequently seized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Case Title: Vicky Ramancha vs State of NCT of Delhi

Bench: Justice Neena Bansal Krishna

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9. [Cross FIR Over Pet Dogs] The Delhi High Court has recently put an end to cross FIRs lodged by two neighbours after a quarrel over their pet dogs escalated into a scuffle. Justice Arun Monga quashed the FIRs lodged by neighbours Ansh Jindal and Kirti Chauhan at Police Station K.N. Katju Marg. The cases arose from a routine dog walk that spiralled into a heated altercation and eventually an unsavoury scuffle, with each side accusing the other of assault, intimidation, and misbehaviour. The Court, however, directed both sets of petitioners to deposit Rs 10,000 each with the Unity for Stray Animal Foundation, a dog shelter in Khera Khurd, Delhi, “for the love of their pets.”

Case Title: Ansh Jindal & Ors. v. State of NCT of Delhi & Anr.

Bench: Justice Arun Monga

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10. [Newslaundry Suit] The Delhi High Court has sought a response from Abhijit Iyer-Mitra on a fresh petition filed by Newslaundry’s Managing Editor, Manisha Pande, along with other women journalists, seeking the takedown of a series of allegedly defamatory tweets recently posted by him. A bench led by Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav heard the matter and granted Iyer-Mitra six days to respond. The case is now listed for further hearing on August 28. Earlier, Pande had filed a defamation suit seeking relief against allegedly defamatory posts and content published by Mitra.

Case Title: Manisha Pande v Abhijit Iyer Mitra

Bench: Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav

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