Dhruv Rathee Defamation Case: Court Orders Fresh Summons
A Delhi court has ordered fresh summons for YouTuber Dhruv Rathee in a long-standing 2018 defamation case involving allegations against the BJP IT cell.
In a significant development regarding a legal battle spanning several years, a Delhi court has ordered the issuance of fresh summons to popular YouTuber Dhruv Rathee. The order comes in relation to a defamation complaint filed back in 2018, following a long period of failed attempts to serve the legal notices to the content creator.
Years of Legal Delays
During the proceedings at the Saket court, Judicial Magistrate Rahul Jain took note of the complainant's struggle to bring the matter to a conclusion. The complainant, Vikas Sankrityayan (also known as Vikas Pandey), submitted that despite repeated efforts over the years, the summons had not been successfully served to Rathee.
The legal counsel for the complainant, advocate Samaksh Sharma, informed the court that the primary obstacle had been Rathee's residence abroad. However, the court was updated with crucial information: Rathee is currently in India and is residing at a specific address in Gurugram, Haryana.
Records indicate that the legal process began much earlier, with Rathee first being summoned on July 23, 2019. Given the delay, the magistrate has now directed that fresh summons be issued to the address provided to the court. To ensure the process is completed effectively, the court has also granted Pandey permission to accompany the process server during the execution of the summons.
The Roots of the Dispute
The legal conflict traces back to a video published by Rathee in May 2018. In the controversial video, Rathee made serious allegations, claiming that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Information Technology cell had attempted to bribe Pandey in an effort to defame him.
The matter gained significant political traction when the video was shared on social media and subsequently retweeted by Arvind Kejriwal, who was the Chief Minister of Delhi at the time. Following the circulation of the video, Pandey initiated defamation proceedings against both Rathee and Kejriwal.
Next Steps in the Legal Process
The court has set strict timelines to move the case forward, directing the complainant to deposit the necessary process fee within two days. The next hearing for this long-running matter has been scheduled for October 17, 2026.