New Delhi: A Delhi Court has issued summons to YouTuber Dhruv Rathee in a defamation suit filed by BJP Mumbai spokesperson Suresh Karamshi Nakhua.
According to Nakhua, Rathee referred to him as a part of “violent and abusive trolls” in his YouTube video titled “My Final Reply to Godi Youtubers | Elvish Yadav.” Nakhua is seeking Rs 20 lakhs in damages from Rathee for the defamation allegedly caused to him in cyberspace.
In response to the suit, Rathee took to his X (formerly Twitter) handle and questioned, “Why does he (Nakhua) have such a passion for insulting people?” He added, “Now, this uncle’s entire history of abuse will be made public again.”
District Judge Gunjan Gupta of Saket Courts issued summons against Rathee, as well as Google LLC and X Corp. Nakhua alleged that Rathee’s video claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had hosted “violent and abusive trolls like Ankit Jain, Suresh Nakhua, and Tajinder Bagga” at his official residence.
“The video in question has received over 24 million views and more than 2.3 million likes, a number that continues to soar with every passing moment,” the suit stated. It added that as a result of Rathee's allegedly defamatory statements in the video, Nakhua's reputation has been severely damaged.
The accusations made by Rathee have led to widespread condemnation and ridicule of Nakhua, causing irreparable harm to his personal and professional life, said the suit. It also sought to restrain Rathee from tweeting, posting or creating any content on YouTube or X Corp regarding Nakhua.
(With inputs from LiveLaw)