Bailable Warrants Issued Against YouTuber Dhruv Rathee in Defamation Case
A Delhi court has issued bailable warrants against Dhruv Rathee in a 2018 defamation case involving a BJP IT Cell member.
In a significant legal development, a Delhi court has issued bailable warrants against popular YouTuber Dhruv Rathee. The order comes in connection with a defamation lawsuit dating back to 2018, marking a new escalation in a long-standing legal battle.
The Root of the Dispute
The case was initiated by Vikas Sankrityayan, who is also known as Vikas Pandey and is a member of the BJP IT Cell. The complainant alleges that he was defamed in a video produced by Rathee titled 'BJP IT Cell Part II.'
According to the complaint, Rathee claimed in the video that members of the BJP IT Cell had attempted to offer bribes to Pandey, a statement that Pandey contends was defamatory.
Why Warrants Were Issued
The decision by Judicial Magistrate Rahul Jain of the Saket Courts followed a failed attempt to serve court summons to the YouTuber. The court had issued fresh summons on October 12, 2026, directed toward Rathee's address in Gurugram.
However, a report from the process server revealed that the residence was found locked during the attempt to deliver the documents. This failure to execute the summons led the court to issue bailable warrants on Saturday, October 17, 2026.
The Challenge of Service
The legal process has been fraught with delays for several years. Advocate Samaksh Sharma, representing the complainant, informed the court that previous attempts to serve Rathee had been unsuccessful because the YouTuber primarily resides in Germany or Austria.
In a recent plea for more expeditious service of the court process, Advocate Sharma submitted that Rathee is currently present in India, allegedly to participate in protests taking place in Delhi.
Timeline and Next Steps
The court noted that the legal machinery had been in motion for quite some time, as Rathee was initially summoned in this matter back in July 2019.
With the issuance of the bailable warrants, the court has now listed the case for a further hearing, which is scheduled for October 31, 2026.