Delhi High Court
– Photo: PTI
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The High Court on Wednesday ordered YouTuber and journalist Shyam Meera Singh to remove the video made on Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim. Justice Jasmeet Singh said the video was prima facie defamatory against Ram Rahim as there was no disclaimer regarding the sources of the allegations made in it. Accordingly the Court directed that the video has to be removed from all social media platforms within 24 hours.
The court clarified that Singh can make a new video giving a disclaimer that parts of the video have been taken from the trial court orders and a book written by another journalist. Shyam Meera Singh on how Gurmeet Ram Rahim fooled his followers last month? The video was uploaded with the title. After the video was uploaded, Ram Rahim sued Shyam Meera Singh for defamation. He said the video is an attempt to prejudice his appeal which is coming up for hearing before the High Court.
Singh told the court that the video was taken from the orders of the trial court and from journalist Anurag Tripathi’s book ‘Dera Sacha Sauda and Gurmeet: A Decade-Long Investigation’. He further argued that the video is a journalistic work and Ram Rahim has not taken any action against Anurag Tripathi, while his book is in the public domain since 2018.