Delhi HC Orders ‘Ranting Gola’ To Delete Post On BJP Spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia

Judge Mini Pushkarna ordered the temporary removal of the content from X, Instagram and other digital platforms while hearing the defense of Bhatia, who claimed that the post violated an earlier court order.

The dispute traces its origins to a defamation lawsuit that Bhatia filed against 22 individuals and entities, including politicians, journalists, media outlets and independent content creators, over content that circulated after he participated in a televised debate in September 2025.

During the News18 discussion hosted by journalist Amish Devgan, a particular camera angle briefly led some viewers to mistakenly assume that Bhatia was not wearing pants. The clip quickly went viral on social media, spawning memes and comments. Bhatia later revealed that he was wearing shorts during the remote broadcast.

On September 25, 2025, the Supreme Court had issued an injunction to remove posts containing obscene, obscene or sexually suggestive language targeting Bhatia and held that such content could not be justified as freedom of expression.

Bhatia, who appeared in person, argued that the next post uploaded by Yadav on December 19 amounted to willful non-compliance with the previous order. He argued that the comment went beyond satire and contained malicious references that damaged his professional and public reputation, which he had built up over decades.

Senior Advocate Vrinda Grover, speaking on behalf of Yadav, argued that her client was an independent satirical content creator with no political affiliations. The defense argued that Yadav’s social media profiles clearly identify him as a comedian and that satire and political comments about public figures are protected forms of expression. It was also argued that the December post did not contain explicit or suggestive content and therefore did not violate the court’s earlier orders.

However, the court expressed concern about the nature of the remarks. Justice Pushkarna observed that the comments left a “very bad taste” and questioned the behavior of social media influencers in targeting public figures through such content.

The Supreme Court ultimately ruled that the mandate be removed immediately, pending further hearings on the matter. The court also noted that if people fail to comply with takedown orders, intermediary platforms such as Google and X could be directed to remove the disputed content themselves.

Amatallah Waheed’s story

Student, English and Foreign Languages ​​University (EFLU)