On 30th December 2023, YouTuber Shyam Meera Singh told the Delhi High Court that he will delete the tweets posted by him on Friday regarding the defamation case filed by Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh against him.
Shyam Meera Singh’s counsel Kapil Madan assured the court that he will not tweet on the matter while it is sub judice. This came after Justice Manoj Jain expressed his displeasure over the tweets posted by him.
“No further tweets while the matter is sub judice… I want your client (Shyam Meera Singh) to be responsible. If he is a journalist, he needs to be responsible. Please do not make any tweets which interferes with the justice delivery system,” Bar and Bench quoted Justice Jain as saying.
Singh's counsel gave the assurance after Justice Manoj Jain expressed his displeasure over the tweets made by him.
— Bar & Bench (@barandbench) December 30, 2023
"No further tweets while the matter is sub judice… I want your client (Shyam Meera Singh) to be responsible. If he is a journalist, he needs to be responsible.…
Notably, Ram Rahim’s counsel Mohit Mathur told the court that in one of his tweets posted on Friday, Shyam Meera Singh asked his followers to download his YouTube video titled: “How Gurmeet Ram Rahim fooled his bhakts?” before it is taken down. Advocate Mathur said “every second that the video is available on YouTube, it is damaging his reputation.”
Senior Advocate Mohit Mathur appeared for Gurmeet Ram Rahim and told the Bench that every second that the video is available on YouTube, it is damaging his reputation.
— Bar & Bench (@barandbench) December 30, 2023
Mathur also said that even after the case came to the court, Singh asked people (through his tweets) to…
Shyam Meera Singh’s counsel told the Court that the video was based on a book authored by another journalist named Anurag Tripathi in 2018, and that Ram Rahim has not included him as a party in the lawsuit. He further contended that Singh is a ‘journalist’ and that ordering the video to be removed without the court reviewing it and reaching a prima facie conclusion would set a wrong precedent.
Madan also stated that Singh is a journalist and if the video is ordered to be taken down without the court going through it and without reaching a prima facie conclusion, it will set a wrong precedent.
— Bar & Bench (@barandbench) December 30, 2023
Meanwhile, the Court stated that it will hear Gurmeet Ram Rahim’s interim relief plea seeking directions to Shyam Meera Singh to remove the video on January 4 after Singh’s counsel files their reply.
In one of the tweets, Shyam Meera Singh wrote in Hindi, “Ram Rahim has demanded a ban on this video in Delhi High Court. Its urgent hearing is tomorrow. You may not be able to watch this video after tomorrow.”
In another tweet, he wrote, “I fear that in tomorrow’s hearing the court may not put a stay on the video or order its deletion. Ramdev has already got my Rajiv Dixit video removed from India by showing a court order. People living in India can never see him again. You download Ram Rahim video.”
Moreover, Shyam Meera Singh had posted another contentious tweet in Hindi which read, “Those are the two people whom Ram Rahim got murdered. 1. Ranjit Singh (former manager of Dera Sacha Sauda Ashram). 2. Journalist Ramchandra Chhatrapati. After years of hard work, CBI was able to prove it. Gather evidence. Proved. The court gave punishment. But the government releases Ram Rahim free on parole.”
It all started after YouTuber Shyam Meera Singh received a legal notice on 29th December on a plea by Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Insan which was filed in response to a video dubbed “How Gurmeet Ram Rahim Fooled his Bhakts”. The thumbnail of the YouTube video read “Ram Rahim’s real truth”. It was uploaded by Shyam Meera Singh on his official YouTube channel on 17th December. The plaintiff demanded financial recompense for the alleged slander in addition to pursuing that the controversial footage be taken down.
As reported earlier, YouTube was also delivered a notice after Justice Shalinder Kaur heard the case. The court stated that notice must be sent by WhatsApp and email. The case was then scheduled for another hearing the following day. Attorney Rajat Aneja represented Ram Rahim and alleged that Shyam Meera Singh was a repeat offender who failed to remove the video even after receiving a legal notice. He cited a post on 24th December on X (Twitter) in which the journalist admitted receiving a notification but declared he would not remove the video and would instead take the matter to court. The counsel contended that the video was slanderous and insulting.
Notably, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2017 for the rape of two disciples. Furthermore, he is serving a life sentence for his role in the 2002 killings of Dera Manager Ranjit Singh and Journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati.
It is worth mentioning that former AajTak journalist Shyam Meera Singh was dismissed in 2021 for his derogatory comments on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The media outlet stated in the termination letter that he had continued to express his opinions on social media platforms in violation of their social media policy, even after receiving two formal warnings in the past.
