The Delhi High Court Wednesday directed journalist and Youtuber Shyam Meera Singh to take down a video about Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Insan, from all social media platforms within 24 hours, after the Dera chief moved a lawsuit claiming that the contents of the video are defamatory. The direction came in the Dera chief's application for 'ad-interim injunction' against the journalist, with respect to a video on YouTube titled “How Gurmeet Ram Rahim fooled his bhakts?”. In an earlier hearing, the HC had, with the consent of the parties, directed that the "alleged offending video link shall be put on private mode" by Shyam Meera Singh. Today a single-judge bench of Justice Jasmeet Singh said, "I have gone through the transcripts of the video uploaded by the defendant no. 2 (Shyam Meera Singh). The video contains material that is based upon the judgment of the trial court as well as quotes passages from a book. However, there is no disclaimer attached to the video. On the basis of that the video prima facie seems to be defamatory vis-a-vis the plaintiff (Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Insan)." The HC, thereafter, directed the journalist to remove the video from YouTube while granting him liberty to upload a "video with disclaimer as to portions which are quoted from the judgment and portions which are quoted from the book" titled 'Dera Sacha Sauda and Gurmeet Ram Rahim'. While disposing of the interim relief application the HC further said, "The removing of the video from all social media platforms will be done within 24 hours from today". The main lawsuit is listed on February 20 for completion of pleadings. Appearing for the Dera chief senior advocate Mohit Mathur argued that the journalist has uploaded a video wherein he has levelled defamatory allegations against his client. He submitted that the "video has been uploaded on Youtube and can be accessed globally by supporters and devotees of the plaintiff and the trust and besides being defamatory also jeopardizes the right of the plaintiff to a fair trial". The plaintiff, also, claimed that the video further "seems to suggest a relationship between the plaintiff and one Gurjant Singh Rajasthani who is alleged to be a terrorist". It was also alleged that the "timing of the uploading of the video" is also at a time when the appeals of the plaintiff are due for hearing. Meanwhile, the counsel appearing for Shyam Meera Singh submitted that the "entire video is either quoting the contents of the judgment of the trial court/or contents of the book 'Dera Sacha Sauda and Gurmeet Ram Rahim' by one Mr Anurag Tripathi". In 2017, the Dera chief was sentenced to 20 years in prison for allegedly raping two women disciples. In 2019, he was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of his employee Ranjit Singh. In 2021, he was sentenced to life imprisonment for another murder — that of journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati. The appeals against the various trial court orders are pending before the Punjab and Haryana HC.
