A Delhi court has issued fresh summons to YouTuber and social media influencer Dhruv Rathee in an eight-year-old criminal defamation case, with the summons now successfully served at his residence in Gurugram. The case, filed by Vikas Pandey, centres on a 2018 video titled 'BJP IT Cell Part 2', which Pandey alleges tarnished his reputation.

Background of the Case

The matter has been pending before the Saket Court in New Delhi since 2019, with earlier attempts to serve summons on Rathee proving unsuccessful. The court noted that Rathee ordinarily resides in Austria, which had complicated the service of process for years. The complainant had argued that Rathee's continued absence from India had effectively stalled proceedings.

In its latest order, the court permitted fresh summons via dasti service — a direct hand-delivery method — and allowed the complainant to accompany the process server. Rathee has now been physically served at his Gurugram address. The next hearing is scheduled for 17 October.

The Kejriwal Connection

The case carries a broader political dimension. The same video was retweeted in 2018 by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, drawing him into separate but connected legal proceedings. In February 2024, Kejriwal told the Supreme Court that he had made a mistake by retweeting the video.

A bench comprising Justices Sanjiv Khanna (who later became Chief Justice of India and has since retired) and Dipankar Datta had granted a stay on the trial court proceedings while hearing Kejriwal's plea challenging the Delhi High Court's refusal to quash the summons issued against him. The High Court had earlier upheld the summoning order, observing that retweeting defamatory content could attract liability under Section 499 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

Who Is the Complainant

Vikas Pandey, identified as the founder of the social media page 'I Support Narendra Modi', had alleged that the video — and its subsequent retweet by Kejriwal — caused serious damage to his reputation. The defamation complaint, filed over the original video's content, has now brought Rathee squarely back into the legal spotlight after years of procedural delays.

What Happens Next

With summons now duly served, the Saket Court is set to take up the matter on 17 October 2026. Rathee, who commands a large following on YouTube and other platforms, has not yet made a public statement on the fresh summons. The case is likely to draw renewed attention to the legal boundaries of online content and the liability that can attach to sharing or retweeting material deemed defamatory by a court.