YouTuber and former journalist Shyam Meera Singh is facing a defamation lawsuit filed by the leader of the spiritual organisation ‘Dera Sacha Sauda.’ He 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 Shyam Meera Singh on his official YouTube channel on 17th December. The plaintiff has demanded financial recompense for the alleged slander in addition to pursuing that the controversial footage be taken down.
The video’s description alleged, “Curious case of Gurmeet Ram Rahim: Explore the shocking revelations surrounding Gurmeet Ram Rahim as we delve into the intriguing story of how he cunningly deceived his devoted followers. Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Insan known also as MSG, has been the head of the Indian social group Dera Sacha Sauda (DSS) since 1990. He is a religious leader, social worker, actor, singer, writer, songwriter, director, and composer. In addition to a 2017 rape conviction, He was also convicted of being involved in the murder of journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati. In this video, We will uncover the manipulative tactics employed by the controversial spiritual leader that led his bhakts astray.”
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.
The lawyer argued, “He used to be a journalist with Aaj Tak but he was fired for insulting the Prime Minister. An FIR has also been filed against him in Uttar Pradesh for insulting the state’s Chief minister.” After reviewing the matter, the court announced that it would give notice and hold proceedings for the next day. Shyam Meera Singh was not represented in court during the hearing. Advocate Shriya Chanda filed the lawsuit on behalf of the client and Rajat Aneja presented the case.
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.
Recently, Ram Rahim Singh’s attorney sent a legal notification to the journalist regarding the matter. Shyam Meera Singh posted, “Congratulations to my YouTube followers, a third legal notice has been sent in just over a month. Baba Ram Rahim is the one who has issued me this legal notification. I am required to take down the video on Baba Gurmeet Ram Rahim. Supporters of Ram Rahim have been leaving mass comments on my video for the past few days. I realised something was going on.”
Shyam Meera Singh further mentioned, “His attorney has finally presented me with a legal notice today to take down the footage,” and alleged that journalist Chhatrapati from Sirsa was murdered by the spiritual leader and he was found culpable of the crime. He added, “I gladly accept the crime of telling that journalist’s story. I would like to fight the case but will not remove the video.”
मेरे YouTube फ़ॉलोवर्स के लिए बधाई, सिर्फ़ एक महीने के भीतर तीसरा लीगल नोटिस भेजा गया है। ये लीगल नोटिस- बाबा राम रहीम की तरफ़ से भेजा गया है। बाबा गुरमीत राम रहीम की माँग है कि मैं वीडियो हटा दूँ। मेरी वीडियो पर पिछले कई दिन से राम रहीम समर्थकों की तरफ़ से मास कमेंट्स आ रहे थे।… pic.twitter.com/E0RrvJyIaA
— Shyam Meera Singh (@ShyamMeeraSingh) December 24, 2023
Notably, Shyam Meera Singh was employed at the popular Hindi news channel Aaj Tak before he 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.
“You should marry Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. Your thoughts are similar, your hearts will likewise connect and you won’t even need to change your surname. As they say, changing your name will not change your game,” the journalist wrote in August of this year which resulted in a First Information Report (FIR) against him in Ghaziabad. However, the tweet was later deleted. He made the remark in reference to a clip featuring model and actress Sherlyn Chopra in which she stated that she is prepared to wed former Congress president Rahul Gandhi but she would not alter her last name after the marriage in response to a question by the media.
In September 2023, he attacked the faith of a Republic TV journalist named Shweta Singh on social media and mocked Hinduism by commenting that Lord Krishna had 16 thousand wives and Draupadi had five husbands. “Which type of Hindu are you,” he questioned while taking a jab at her and insinuating that she must have been in a polygamous relationship by virtue of her religion. This provided an opportunity for Islamists like Radio Jockey (RJ) Sayema who reacted to the tweet with laughing emoticons.
