Delhi court issues fresh summons to Dhruv Rathee in 2018 defamation case

A Delhi court has issued fresh summons to YouTuber Dhruv Rathee in a defamation case filed in 2018 by Vikas Pandey, a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) IT cell, observing that efforts to serve the summons on the YouTuber have continued for several years.

Judicial Magistrate Rahul Jain of the Saket court passed the order on October 12 after hearing an application filed by Pandey seeking fresh summons. The matter, initially scheduled for November 20, was taken up earlier following a request from the complainant.

The court noted that Rathee had initially been summoned in July 2019 and that the complainant had been attempting to serve him for several years.

According to submissions made before the court, Rathee, who ordinarily resides in Austria, was in India to participate in protests organised by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi.

Advocate Samaksh Sharma, appearing for Pandey, submitted that Rathee had travelled to India for the protests and argued that fresh summons were necessary to ensure service of the court's process.

The court directed that fresh summons, including dasti summons, be issued to Rathee at his address in Gurugram, Haryana. Dasti summons allow the complainant or an authorised person to take the court-issued document for service. The court also permitted Pandey to accompany the official responsible for serving the summons.

The next hearing in the case is scheduled for October 17.

Pandey filed the defamation complaint in 2018 over a video uploaded on Rathee's YouTube channel. The complaint alleged that the content was defamatory. The allegations remain subject to judicial proceedings, and the fresh summons do not constitute a finding of guilt.

Rathee is also facing other legal proceedings relating to his online content. BJP leader Suresh Karamshi Nakhua has filed a Rs 20-lakh defamation suit against the YouTuber, alleging that Rathee described him as a "violent and abusive troll" in a video uploaded in July 2024. A court issued summons and notice to Rathee in that case the same month.

In a separate matter, Amit Sachdeva filed a complaint alleging that a video by Rathee contained objectionable remarks about Hindu deities and Sanatan Dharma. The complaint sought the registration of an FIR under Sections 196 and 299 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

On October 10, 2026, Delhi and Gurugram Police detained Rathee at his residence in Sector 56, Gurugram, ahead of his planned participation in a CJP protest at Jantar Mantar. He was released after approximately 22 hours.

The latest court order concerns the service of summons in the 2018 defamation case. The proceedings are scheduled to continue on October 17.