CJP agrees to take down posts against BJP's Gaurav Bhatia after Delhi HC's appeal: 'Attacking without verifying'

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Thursday stepped into a dispute between BJP national spokesperson and senior advocate Gaurav Bhatia and leaders of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), urging the latter to voluntarily take down social media posts that allegedly made false claims about the BJP leader.

Justice Tushar Rao Gedela, hearing Bhatia's ₹2 crore defamation suit, suggested that CJP leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka remove the disputed posts themselves rather than wait for a formal court order. The court also stressed the importance of verifying information before making allegations publicly.

'Attacking without verifying is not correct'

During the hearing, the court advised the young CJP leaders to be more careful while making political statements and posting content online.

Justice Gedela reportedly told them that “attacking without verifying” facts was not appropriate and encouraged them to express dissent in a more articulate and responsible manner. The judge also remarked that the leaders had a long way to go and questioned why they would want to spend time fighting legal battles in court.

The court gave the defendants an opportunity to take instructions on the matter and return with their response.

Dispute began with an AI-generated graphic

The controversy centres on a social media graphic that allegedly attributed remarks to Bhatia concerning Swatantra Bhardwaj, who had been accused of assaulting the father of CJP activist Nishu Azad.

The disputed graphic allegedly portrayed Bhatia as calling Bhardwaj a “dimagi naxal” and making other remarks about him. Bhatia denied making those statements and described the graphic as fake.

CJP's Saurav Das had shared the graphic on X. He subsequently removed the post and clarified that it was AI-generated, while continuing to challenge Bhatia over the substance of the purported statement. CJP co-convenor Ashutosh Ranka was also accused of amplifying the disputed content.

Bhatia had sought ₹2 crore in damages

Bhatia approached the Delhi High Court earlier this week seeking ₹2 crore in damages from the CJP and its leaders, including Abhijeet Dipke, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka.

He also sought an injunction against the defendants from publishing or circulating the allegedly defamatory material.

Bhatia had earlier given Das 24 hours to delete the post and issue an unconditional apology, calling it a fake post. Das subsequently deleted it and said it had been generated using AI.

Court also advised Bhatia to try dialogue first

While cautioning the CJP leaders over unverified allegations, the Delhi High Court also questioned Bhatia's decision to approach the court without first attempting to resolve the dispute directly.

The court's comments therefore applied to both sides: political disagreements and criticism are legitimate, but allegations presented as factual claims should be properly verified before being published.

The hearing ended with the CJP leaders being asked to consider voluntarily removing the disputed posts. The court indicated that if they did so within the suggested timeframe, it would not immediately need to issue a formal removal order.

A growing concern over AI-generated political content

The dispute comes amid increasing concern over AI-generated images, quotes and political content circulating on social media.

In this case, the central allegation was not simply that Bhatia had been criticised, but that words he allegedly never said were attributed to him through an AI-generated graphic. The episode highlights the growing difficulty of distinguishing genuine political statements from fabricated or manipulated material online.

For now, the Delhi High Court has encouraged a voluntary resolution, while the broader defamation dispute remains before the court.