Dhruv Rathee faces bailable warrants in 2018 defamation case; Delhi court issues order

A Delhi court on Saturday issued bailable warrants against YouTuber Dhruv Rathee in a 2018 defamation case filed by BJP IT Cell member Vikas Pandey, adding a fresh development to the legal proceedings that have been underway for several years.

The latest order comes days after the court issued fresh summons to Rathee, noting that efforts to serve him in the case had continued over several years.

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The court had also recorded submissions by the complainant's counsel that Rathee ordinarily resides in Austria and had travelled to India to attend Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) protests in the national capital.

Judicial Magistrate Rahul Jain was hearing Pandey's plea seeking fresh summons to the YouTuber. In an order dated October 12, the court noted that Rathee had initially been summoned in July 2019 and directed that fresh summons be issued to him at his address in Gurugram, Haryana.

What is the 2018 defamation case against Dhruv Rathee?

The case stems from a complaint filed by Pandey in 2018 after Rathee uploaded a video about him on his YouTube channel. Pandey, who is associated with the BJP's IT Cell, approached the court alleging defamation over the video.

In the proceedings earlier this week, Advocate Samaksh Sharma, appearing for Pandey, told the court that Rathee had been residing in Austria for the past seven years and had returned to India in connection with the CJP protests in Delhi.

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The complainant's counsel argued that fresh summons were needed to enable prompt steps to serve the YouTuber.

The court, while considering the plea, observed that the complainant had been attempting to serve Rathee for several years. It subsequently directed that fresh summons be sent to his Gurugram address.