Journalist & YouTuber is directed to remove video on Ram Rahim Singh as it is prima facie defamatory: Delhi HC
Case Title: Saint Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Insan Shishayeva Gaddinashin Shah Satnam Singh Ji Maharaj v. Youtube LLC and Anr
Case No: CS (OS) No. 887 of 2023
Decided on: 30th December, 2023
CORAM: THE HON’BLE MR. JUSTICE MANOJ JAIN
Facts of the Case
Ram Rahim initiated the lawsuit against Singh, asserting that the narration and content of the video posted on journalist and YouTuber Shyam Meera Singh’s YouTube channel are inherently misleading and defamatory. Ram Rahim expressed concern that the video was uploaded with the explicit intention of subjecting him to a media trial, aiming to declare him guilty in the public eye even before his appeals are heard and determined by the competent court.
Senior Advocate Mohit Mathur, representing Ram Rahim Singh, argued that the video, accessible worldwide to devotees, poses a threat to his right to a fair trial. He also contended that the timing of the video’s release is suspicious, coinciding with the imminent hearing of Singh’s appeal against his conviction.
Contrarily, the legal representative for Shyam Meera Singh asserted that the entire video either cites material from the trial court’s judgment or presents content from the book authored by Anurag Tripathi.
Issue
Whether the content of the video posted on journalist and YouTuber Shyam Meera Singh’s YouTube channel seems to be prima facie defamatory vis-à-vis the plaintiff?
Court’s analysis and decision
The Delhi High Court has instructed journalist and YouTuber Shyam Meera Singh to remove a video he created about Dera Saccha Sauda Chief Ram Rahim Singh from all social media platforms. Justice Jasmeet Singh stated that the video appears to be defamatory towards the plaintiff (Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh) based on prima facie evidence. Nevertheless, the court has allowed the journalist the freedom to upload a new video, provided it includes a disclaimer acknowledging that its content is sourced from the trial court judgment on Rahim’s conviction and the book titled “Dera Sacha Sauda and Gurmeet Ram Rahim” by Anurag Tripathi.
Within a 24-hour timeframe, the court mandated Singh to take down the video from all social media platforms. Justice Singh issued this directive while adjudicating an application for an interim injunction in the defamation lawsuit initiated by Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh. The court observed that the video incorporated content derived from the trial court’s judgment and featured excerpts from the book. Nonetheless, it was emphasized that the video lacked a disclaimer.
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Written by- Afshan Ahmad