BJP's Gaurav Bhatia Moves Delhi High Court Over Defamatory Social Media Posts On 'No Pants' TV Appearance
According to a Bar and Bench report, Justice Amit Bansal heard the matter on Tuesday and reserved the order for Thursday.
Bharatiya Janata Party Spokesperson and Senior Advocate Gaurav Bhatia has approached the Delhi High Court seeking removal of defamatory posts on social media following allegations that he appeared on a television news show without wearing pants.
According to a Bar and Bench report, Justice Amit Bansal heard the matter on Tuesday and reserved the order for Thursday.
The controversy stems from Bhatia’s appearance earlier this month on a TV debate show hosted by journalist Amish Devgan. During the show’s introduction, visuals showed Bhatia wearing a kurta but without visible pants or pyjamas.
As per ANI report, Bhatia told the Court that on Sept. 12, while he was "in the comfort of his home," unauthorised images and videos from the show were widely circulated online. He argued that many posts were defamatory, violated his privacy, and in some cases contained inappropriate references to male genitalia. He also alleged that some of the content was AI-generated or manipulated.
"I was dressed in a kurta and shorts; if a cameraman errs, that doesn’t justify defamatory remarks like ‘I’m coming from a PMO meeting," Bhatia said.
"People on social media cannot be allowed to use derogatory words like nanga (nude) with reference to my appearance on TV. I stand before you because reputation is earned over decades," he said.
Justice Bansal, however, observed that Bhatia, being in politics, “should be thick-skinned.”
Advocate Raghav Awasthi, appearing for Bhatia, reiterated that his client was wearing shorts and that the cameraman mistakenly focused on the lower half of his body.
He argued that objectionable remarks and memes circulating on social media must be taken down as they infringe on Bhatia’s right to privacy.
The defamation suit has sought removal of posts shared by the Samajwadi Party’s media cell, news platform Newslaundry, AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj, Congress leader Ragini Nayak, and journalists including Abhisar Sharma.
Bar and Bench report, further added, Advocate Mamta Rani Jha, appearing for Google, submitted that some of the links flagged for takedown by Bhatia had no connection with the incident in question.
