Delhi court summons YouTuber Dhruv Rathee in defamation case

A Delhi court has summoned popular YouTuber Dhruv Rathee to appear in a defamation case filed by BJP Mumbai spokesperson Suresh Karamshi Nakhua. The case stems from Rathee's YouTube video "My Reply to Godi Youtubers | Elvish Yadav," where he allegedly referred to Nakhua as part of "violent and abusive trolls."

Nakhua is seeking Rs 20 lakhs in damages for what he claims is defamation in cyberspace. District Judge Gunjan Gupta of Saket Courts issued the summons, which also includes Google LLC and X Corp as defendants.

The court order states, "Issue summons of the suit and notice of the application u/o 39 Rule 1 and 2 CPC to the defendants, subject to steps by all modes i.e. PF & RC/Speed Post/ Approved Courier including electronic mode for 06.08.2024."

According to Nakhua, 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 has garnered over 24 million views and 2.3 million likes.

Nakhua's lawsuit alleges that Rathee's statements have caused severe damage to his reputation, leading to "widespread condemnation and ridicule" and causing irreparable harm to his personal and professional life.

The suit also accuses Rathee of committing habitual defamation, making online threats, deteriorating fellow YouTuber's career etc. by using his audience which runs in over 23.3 million subscribers on YouTube and over 2.6 million followers on the X platform.

Nakhua is seeking to restrain Rathee from creating or posting any content about him on YouTube or X Corp. Advocates Raghav Awasthi and Mukesh Sharma are representing Nakhua in the case.