BJP national spokesperson and advocate Gaurav Bhatia has filed a ₹2 crore defamation case in the Delhi High Court against Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) spokesperson Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka. Bhatia announced the development in a post on X on Tuesday, 8th September, saying that the case would be listed for hearing before the Delhi High Court on Wednesday.
Sharing the post on his X account along with the index of the defamation suit, the BJP leader wrote, “When allegations cross the line, the law draws the line. ₹2 CRORE defamation suit. Tomorrow, the defamation matter will be listed before the Hon’ble Delhi High Court. Not a social-media trial. Not a battle of narratives. Just facts, evidence and the rule of law. Let the truth be tested where it belongs – in Court.”
When allegations cross the line, the law draws the line.
— Gaurav Bhatia गौरव भाटिया 🇮🇳 (@gauravbhatiabjp) September 8, 2026
₹2 CRORE defamation suit.
Tomorrow, the defamation matter will be listed before the Hon'ble Delhi High Court.
Not a social-media trial.
Not a battle of narratives.
Just facts, evidence and the rule of law.
Let the… pic.twitter.com/dHBIeJUjPs
AI-generated post sparks controversy
The defamation case follows a controversy over a post shared by CJP spokesperson Saurav Das on his official X account. Das had shared an AI-generated image on 5th September that falsely appeared to show BJP spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia calling Swatantra Bharadwaj a “dimagi naxal” and accusing him of having casteist views.
The fake post carried the statement, “Swatantra Bharadwaj is a ‘dimagi naxal’. He has the poison of casteism within him. The BJP has no connection with this individual.”
Another CJP spokesperson, Ashutosh Ranka, also shared Das’s post and wrote, “Paw paw has disowned the rowdy ones.”
Bhatia rejected the claim and described the post as fake. He gave Das 24 hours to delete it and issue an unconditional apology. The BJP also warned Das through an X post, saying, “This is a fake post. You have 24 hours to delete and offer unconditional apology.”
Saurav Das deletes post after warning
Das later deleted the post and acknowledged that the image he had shared was AI-generated. However, Bhatia said that deleting the post alone would not settle the matter and continued to demand an unconditional apology.
Bhatia wrote on X, “It took only 83 minutes for the post to be deleted. Unqualified apology remains. Tomorrow will be a day of FIR if no unqualified apology is tendered. Can’t spread propaganda and then just delete and run.”
It took only 83 minutes for the post to be deleted. Unqualified apology still remains. Tomorrow will be a day of FIR if no unqualified apology is tendered. Can't spread propaganda and then just delete and run. https://t.co/oTXLR6ZwKe
— Gaurav Bhatia गौरव भाटिया 🇮🇳 (@gauravbhatiabjp) September 5, 2026
The matter has now escalated into a legal battle, with Bhatia filing a ₹2 crore defamation case against the two CJP spokespersons. The case is expected to come up before the Delhi High Court for hearing.
Why is Swatantra Bharadwaj at the centre of the row?
The controversy is linked to a separate case involving Swatantra Bharadwaj and the CJP. Delhi Police detained Bharadwaj on Friday, 4th September, near Dhamra Nara village in Bulandshahr, hours after assuring a CJP delegation that he would be arrested within 72 hours.
Police had earlier registered an FIR against Bharadwaj over allegations that he assaulted CJP activist Nishu Azad’s father, Sanjay Azad, during a CJP-led protest at Jantar Mantar in June. CJP leaders had demanded action against him under provisions related to attempt to murder and the SC/ST Act.
The issue gained further attention after Bharadwaj spoke about the incident on a podcast and claimed that he had attacked Sanjay Azad. He later said he had acted in self-defence after being attacked by a mob of around 25–30 people.
A video circulated on social media also showed Bharadwaj being attacked by a group, while Delhi Police personnel tried to rescue him. In another video, Sanjay Azad said the head injury he suffered was caused “unintentionally” and challenged Bharadwaj to a one-on-one confrontation.
