Bench Briefs & Bermuda Shorts: Gaurav Bhatia Seeks Relief from Delhi High Court Over Viral TV Clip

(By: Syed Ali Taher Abedi)

New Delhi, September 23, 2025 — BJP leader and senior advocate Gaurav Bhatia has approached the Delhi High Court seeking removal of several social media posts that mocked his appearance on a television show, where he was allegedly seen wearing shorts.

The matter was heard on Tuesday by Justice Amit Bansal, who stated that the court would pass its order on Thursday. During the hearing, the court clarified that it would injunct posts containing defamatory content, especially those referring to Bhatia’s private parts. However, satirical or sarcastic commentary related to the incident would not be restricted.

Bhatia had appeared on News18 during a show hosted by Amish Devgan. The controversy erupted after clips and screenshots of the episode circulated online, prompting a wave of commentary and memes.

The petition was drafted and filed by advocate Simran Barar, with arguments presented before the court by advocate Raghav Awasthi

Advocate Raghav Awasti, representing Bhatia, argued that the posts violated his client’s privacy and dignity. The suit specifically sought the removal of content posted by the Samajwadi Party’s media cell, News Laundry, AAP’s Saurabh Bhardwaj, Congress spokesperson Ragini Nayak, and journalist Abhisar Sharma.

Also appearing in person, Bhatia told court that while he appreciates court’s comment on being thick skinned, but remarks made in the matter were by “irresponsible persons on the other side calling themselves media houses.”

“I stand before your lordships because reputation is earned over decades. I appear in a debate in proper dressing in Kurta and Shorts. The cameraman did something which he was not suppose to do…to say that I am coming form a meeting from PMO. It is defamatory. They are saying this person (Bhatia) “Khud hi ko Nanga kardiya. “This is a media house reporting this. That comment has to be removed because these are AI generated videos also, statements highly derogatory, Bhatia said.

Justice Bansal, while hearing the matter, remarked that Bhatia, being a public figure in politics, “should be thick-skinned.” Advocate Mamta Rani Jha appeared on behalf of Google in the proceedings.

The case has sparked debate over the boundaries of satire, privacy, and public scrutiny in the digital age.