Delhi High Court warns Shyam Meera Singh of contempt in Dera Sacha Sauda head Ram Rahim's defamation case

NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court has warned Youtuber Shyam Meera Singh of contempt proceedings in a defamation suit against him by Dera Sacha Sauda head Gurmeet Ram Rahim.

Following the suit, the Youtuber had made the video on his YouTube channel 'Shyam Meera Singh' private, and followed it up with a tweet saying that he had only done so due to majboori (compulsion).

Expressing strong displeasure over the said tweet, a bench of Justice Jasmeet Singh of the Delhi High Court said, Please understand there is a dignity of the court. You cannot take the Court lightly. The Court does not force anyone to do anything. We pass orders as per the legal framework. The Court did not compel you to make the video private.

This was a statement made by your counsel. If you do it again, I will initiate contempt against you, the bench added. The matter was adjourned today due to the non-availability of Sr. Adv. Salman Khurshid, appearing for Singh.

In the previous hearing, Sr. Adv. Salman Khurshid appearing for Singh had submitted that the parties would sit over the matter and decide on what to do with the alleged defamatory parts of the video.

Earlier, Justice Manoj Jain had directed Shyam Meera Singh to delete the alleged defamatory tweets against Gurmeet Ram Rahim.

Shyam Singh on the other hand had contended that he is a responsible journalist, and the contents of impugned video were extensively based on Dera Sacha Sauda, a book authored by Anurag Tripathi, which was in the public domain through various online platforms.

Ram Rahim's suit in Delhi High Court seeks directions to Shyam Meera Singh to delete a video uploaded by him on YouTube alleging that Ram Rahim had fooled his followers.

The alleged defamatory video by Shyam Meera Singh had been published on Singhs channel on December 17, 2023 with the title "How Gurmeet Ram Rahim fooled his Bhakts?"

The description of the video stated, "Curious case of Gurmeet Ram Rahim: Explore the shocking revelations surrounding Gurmeet Ram Rahim as we delve into the intriguing story of how he cunningly deceived his devoted followers. Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Insan known also as MSG,  - is the head of the Indian social group Dera Sacha Sauda (DSS) since 1990. He is a religious leader, social worker, actor, singer, writer, songwriter, director, and composer." 

"In addition to a 2017 rape conviction, He was also convicted of being involved in the murder of journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati. In this video, We will uncover the manipulative tactics employed by the controversial spiritual leader that led his bhakts astray," it added.

Gurmeet Ram Rahim had then moved Delhi High Court stating that the impugned video was highly defamatory in nature.

It was also submitted that despite being aware of the fact that the present suit was filed, Shyam Singh had made several tweets which were not only objectionable but also contemptuous in nature. The Court had then directed Shyam Singh to delete the tweets on the day of the order itself (December 30).

Cause Title: Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh v. YouTube LLC