A Delhi court on Thursday directed the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and its leaders, including Saurabh Bharadwaj, to remove a defamatory social media post targeting Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Bansuri Swaraj. The court also restrained them from sharing the content further.
Court Order and Reactions
Reacting to the order, Swaraj alleged that the incident highlighted what she described as the 'anti-woman face' of the AAP, accusing Bharadwaj of spreading false information. 'The anti-woman face of the Aam Aadmi Party has once again come to the fore... Saurabh Bhardwaj had released a video spreading lies about Raksha Khadse and me. For this, I had sent him a legal notice. After that, he held a press conference to promote and propagate that video. I welcome the court's decision,' said BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj.
Background of the Case
The case relates to a video shared on April 19 during a BJP protest, which allegedly misrepresented Swaraj's actions at the time of her detention. According to her petition, the video suggested that the incident was staged and wrongly portrayed Union minister Raksha Khadse as a police officer, creating a misleading impression. Swaraj told the court that the video had been edited with captions and commentary to mock her and harm her public image. She also stated that the content was widely circulated and further amplified through a press conference.
The court noted that Swaraj had established a prima facie case and restrained the defendants, including the AAP, from publishing, reposting, or sharing the material on any platform. It emphasised that the right to reputation is part of the right to life under Article 21 of the Constitution and cannot be undermined by unchecked speech. The court said allowing the content to remain online could cause serious and irreversible harm, and that financial compensation would not be sufficient. It also held that the balance of convenience favoured granting interim relief.
The case comes amid escalating political tensions between the BJP and the AAP in April 2026, with Bansuri Swaraj and Saurabh Bharadwaj emerging as key opposing figures.
