Legal complications have escalated for YouTuber Dhruv Rathee following an order by a Delhi court directing the issuance of fresh summons against him in a criminal defamation suit dating back to 2018. Rathee is currently visiting India, having made recent appearances alongside CJP figure Abhijeet Dipke and being detained ahead of a protest at Jantar Mantar. Following that detention, he now faces renewed judicial scrutiny in the pending litigation.
Court Order on Plea by BJP IT Cell Member
The directive was passed by Judicial Magistrate Rahul Jain during the hearing of an application moved by Vikas Pandey, a member of the BJP IT cell. Pandey had approached the bench seeking fresh summons against Rathee. Advocate Samaksh Sharma, appearing on behalf of the complainant, informed the magistrate that Rathee generally resides in Austria but is presently in India to participate in demonstrations staged by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) across the national capital. The counsel argued that fresh process was imperative so immediate measures could be executed while Rathee is within the country.
Chronology of Summons and Austria Residence
In its formal order dated October 12, the court observed that court records establish persistent attempts by the complainant over multiple years to serve summons upon accused number one, Dhruv Rathee. The judicial magistrate noted that Rathee has lived in Austria for the past seven years and returned to India primarily to join the ongoing demonstrations in New Delhi. The magistrate recalled that the court had initially issued summons to Rathee back in July 2019. Taking these circumstances into account, the court directed the registry to dispatch fresh summons to Rathee's residential address located in Gurugram, Haryana.
Defamation Case Triggered by 2018 Video
The origins of the legal battle trace back to 2018, when Vikas Pandey filed a defamation action against the social media creator. The litigation was initiated after Rathee published a video on his YouTube channel containing allegations directed at Pandey. That legal proceeding, stalled across multiple years due to service issues, has now regained momentum with the court directing physical delivery of the legal notice at his Haryana residence.
