NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Friday directed social media content creator Shamita Yadav, popularly known online as “Ranting Gola,” to immediately take down a post concerning Senior Advocate and BJP national spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia, observing that its continued presence online could cause prejudice and injury to him amid ongoing defamation proceedings.
Justice Mini Pushkarna ordered the interim removal of the content from X, Instagram and other digital platforms while hearing a plea filed by Bhatia, who alleged that the post violated an earlier court order.
The dispute traces its origins to a defamation suit filed by Bhatia against 22 individuals and entities, including politicians, journalists, media organisations and independent content creators, over content circulated following his appearance on a televised debate in September 2025.
During the News18 debate hosted by journalist Amish Devgan, a particular camera angle briefly led some viewers to mistakenly assume that Bhatia was not wearing trousers. The clip quickly went viral on social media, spawning memes and commentary. Bhatia later clarified that he was wearing shorts during the remote broadcast.
On September 25, 2025, the High Court had issued an injunction directing the removal of posts containing obscene, explicit or sexually suggestive remarks targeting Bhatia, holding that such content could not be justified as free speech.
Appearing in person, Bhatia argued that a subsequent post uploaded by Yadav on December 19 amounted to deliberate non-compliance with the earlier order. He contended that the commentary went beyond satire and included abusive references that damaged his professional and public reputation built over several decades.
Senior Advocate Vrinda Grover, appearing for Yadav, argued that her client is an independent satirical content creator with no political affiliation. The defence maintained that Yadav’s social media profiles clearly identify her as a comedian and that satire and political commentary on public figures are protected forms of expression. It was further argued that the December post did not contain explicit or obscene content and therefore did not violate the court’s earlier directions.
The court, however, expressed concern over the nature of the remarks. Justice Pushkarna observed that the comments left a “very bad taste” and questioned the conduct of social media influencers targeting public figures through such content.
The High Court ultimately directed that the post be removed forthwith pending further hearings in the matter. The court has also indicated that if individuals fail to comply with takedown orders, intermediary platforms such as Google and X may be directed to remove the disputed content themselves.
Story by Amatallah Waheed
Student, English and Foreign Languages University (EFLU)
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