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‘Anti-woman face of the AAP’: Bansuri Swaraj slams Saurabh Bhardwaj after court asks him to remove defamatory videos
Bansuri Swaraj accused AAP leader Saurabh Bhardwaj of spreading misinformation and said the episode exposed the “anti-woman face” of the Party.
A Delhi court on Thursday directed the Aam Aadmi Party to remove alleged defamatory videos against BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj linked to her detention during a protest earlier. Swaraj welcomed the decision and accused AAP leader Saurabh Bhardwaj of spreading misinformation. The episode exposed the “anti-woman face” of the Party, she said.
“The anti-woman face of the Aam Aadmi Party has once again come to the fore... Saurabh Bhardwaj had released a video spreading lies about Raksha Khadse and me. For this, I had sent him a legal notice. After that, he held a press conference to promote and propagate that video. I welcome the court's decision,” she told news agency ANI.
The controversy is linked to a video posted on April 19 during a BJP protest march, which Swaraj said wrongly showed her behaviour during detention.
She claimed the video falsely suggested the incident was staged and wrongly identified Union minister Raksha Khadse as a police officer, creating a misleading story. The video, captioned “Bharatiye Drama Company,” was also allegedly amplified by party functionaries.
In her plea, Swaraj alleged that the video had been selectively edited with captions, overlays and commentary to mock her and damage her reputation. She also said its reach was amplified after being reshared and discussed at a press conference.
According to court directions issued by Principal District & Sessions Judge Gurvinder Pal Singh of Saket Courts, the video dated April 19 and related remarks made at an April 21 press conference must be taken down from platforms such as X, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube. The order also covers MCD leader of opposition Ankush Narang, as reported by Live Law.
The court further directed that in case of non-compliance within 48 hours, Swaraj would be free to approach social media intermediaries for removal of the content.
The court said Swaraj made a prima facie case and ordered the defendants, including the AAP, not to publish, repost, or share the disputed content on any platform.
The court said that a person’s right to reputation is protected under Article 21 of the Constitution, but it has to be balanced with the right to free speech. It also noted that financial compensation cannot fully fix damage to someone’s reputation, and therefore, it was appropriate to grant temporary protection in this case.
The court is scheduled to hear the matter further on May 13.
