Delhi Court Issues New Bailable Warrants for Dhruv Rathee in 2018 Defamation Case

A Delhi court on Saturday issued fresh bailable warrants against YouTuber Dhruv Rathee in a defamation case that originated in 2018. Judicial Magistrate Rahul Jain signed the warrants following a complaint lodged by Vikas Sanskrityayan, also known as Vikas Pandey, who alleges the YouTuber defamed him in a video posted on Rathee’s channel. The court’s detailed order is still pending. On Oct 17, the same court had issued bailable warrants when a process server could not deliver notice because Rathee’s house was locked. The magistrate also sent fresh summons to Rathee’s residence in Gurugram, Haryana. Advocate Samaksh Sharma, representing Pandey, told the court that Rathee normally lives in Austria and had travelled to India to attend the Cockroach Janata Party protests in Delhi. Records show Rathee was first summoned in July 2019. The defamation complaint stems from a 2018 video in which Rathee criticized Pandey, prompting the legal action.

Context

Defamation suits in India can lead to criminal proceedings and the issuance of warrants, especially when the accused does not respond to summons. High‑profile online creators often face such legal notices when their content is alleged to harm someone's reputation.