Delhi court Magistrate Rahul Jain on Friday ordered a fresh summons against YouTuber Dhruv Rathee in the criminal defamation suit filed in 2018 by BJP IT Cell member Vikas Pandey. The petition, lodged by Pandey after Rathee uploaded the video ‘BJP IT Cell Part 2’, alleges that the content defames the politician. The court’s order, dated October 12, follows a previous summons issued in July 2019.
Rathee, who has resided in Austria for seven years, travelled to India to join the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) protests against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Advocate Samaksh Sharma, appearing for Pandey, argued that Rathee’s foreign domicile has made service of the original summons difficult and that a fresh summons to his Gurugram address would enable the court to enforce its directive. The judge noted that the complainant had been attempting to serve the accused for several years without success.
The video, titled ‘BJP IT Cell Part 2’, accuses Pandey of manipulating political narratives through the party’s digital wing. Pandey’s complaint claims that the video tarnishes his reputation and seeks damages under the Indian Penal Code. The court has not yet ruled on the merits of the defamation claim, focusing instead on procedural service.
Observers say the summons could pressure Rathee to appear in court or risk contempt proceedings. Rathee’s followers have expressed concern that the case may chill online commentary on political figures. The next hearing is scheduled for the first week of November, after which the court will decide whether to grant the defamation claim.