On Thursday, July 28, popular YouTuber Gaurav Taneja aka Flying Beast announced on Twitter that the Delhi High Court had ordered Mint, a subsidiary of Hindustan Times and its journalist Shepali Bhatt to remove the article and Tweets that were directed to defame the YouTuber and his family.
Earlier in the day, Gaurav Taneja first put out a Tweet informing his followers that the Delhi High Court had accepted their lawsuit seeking a permanent injunction against the financial newspaper Mint. Thanking his legal team for standing by him, the popular YouTuber and a former pilot slammed the media house and its journalist Shepali Bhatt for peddling a vicious attack against him for his faith.
“I was attacked by certain media for believing in my faith and culture. Delhi High Court yesterday passed an order in our favor and against @livemint and journalist #ShephaliBhatt,” Tweeted the Youtuber.
In his subsequent Tweet, Taneja wrote, “Certain unethical journo peddle a vicious attack because some wear their identity badge proudly. All articles and tweets by #ShephaliBhatt to be taken down as per Delhi High Court order. Such journos insult “Norms of Journalistic conduct” @PressCouncil_IN.
Hindustan Times’ Mint wanted brands to cancel the YouTuber for ‘politically motivated’ posts
Notably, the media house had on May 8 published an article calling for brands to disassociate with the popular YouTuber by claiming that Taneja peddled propaganda, apart from reeking misogyny, child abuse, and abuse of their pet dog. The article was published after Gaurav Taneja tweeted a picture of himself performing a housewarming ritual with his wife Ritu Rathee and thier daughter.
In his tweet, Gaurav Taneja had claimed that the Hindu ritual of performing Havan or ‘Agnihotra’ purifies the air and removes pollutants. The claim was disputed by many on social media.
Gaurav Taneja’s unapologetic display of his Hindu way of life did not go down well with the ‘liberal-secular’ Twitter influencers and media houses. Mint, a subsidiary of Hindustan Times, published an article written by one Shephali Bhatt, calling brands to ‘cancel’ the pilot-turned-YouTuber.
The article apparently called for popular brands such as Google India, Airtel, Tata Cliq, Realme, Dell India, Mamaearth, and Rage Coffee to disassociate from supporting the popular YouTuber. The Mint wanted Gaurav Taneja to be ‘cancelled’ for his ‘politically motivated’ post.
“Their videos attract a vast majority of the Hindi-speaking audience who find this content real, relatable, and unfiltered. Naturally, major brands flock to collaborate with them for influencer marketing campaigns,” lamented Mint reporter Shephali Bhat in her report.