The Delhi High Court voiced its disapproval on 8th January and cautioned YouTuber Shyam Meera Singh that he could face contempt proceedings for comments he made against the Court. Shyam Meera Singh, in one of his latest social media posts, had mentioned that he was being pressured by the Court in the case against Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh.
The court was hearing a plea filed by Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, seeking an interim stay on a video, and the deletion of a video Shyam Meera Singh uploaded to YouTube. The YouTube video is titled “How Gurmeet Ram Rahim Fooled His Bhakts?”.
At the outset, counsel for the YouTuber requested an adjournment because Senior Advocate Salman Khurshid was not available to argue today. Senior Advocate Mohit Mathur, meanwhile, standing for the Dera Sacha Sauda Chief, informed the court that Singh has tweeted that he is under pressure.
The senior counsel quoted Shyam Meera Singh’s tweet, “Samne wale paksh ke karan hume 2 din ke liye video private mode pe krne ke liye majboor hona pada (Because of the opposite party, I have been forced to put the video on private mode for 2 days).”
“This is not fair. This is unfair. The court doesn’t force anybody. He’s saying he’s being forced. It was a concession. I could have passed an order. The court is very competent to pass an order with regard to the merits of the case. It was done voluntarily. Where is the majburi (Compulsion)? You bring him here, and we’ll ask him what he wants, then it will not be a majburi (compulsion),” the court of Justice Jasmeet Singh then said.
“Please understand…When you write about the court, you have to be a responsible citizen. You cannot say that the court is pressuring you. The court cannot pressure anybody. Your counsel had suggested putting the video in ‘Private Mode’ if any such tweet is posted in the future. I’ll issue a contempt order against you,” the court said advising the YouTuber Shyam Meera Singh.
The court deferred the hearing to January 10, 2024, citing the absence of Singh’s senior counsel. “The video will remain in private mode until January 10,” the court instructed.
Senior Advocate Salman Khurshid, who represented Singh at the last hearing, stated that both sides will get down and review the defamatory portions of the video to determine what can be done.
Last week, YouTuber Shyam Meera Singh informed the Court that he would remove the tweets he had written against Dera Sacha Sauda founder Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh. The plaintiff’s counsel stated that his client issued a legal notice to YouTube and Shyam Meera Singh, the person who uploaded the video, on December 21. He had claimed that the film was “clearly derogatory, disparaging, and denigrating.”
“He (Shyam Meera Singh) is a habitual offender… After we put him to notice, he put out a comment on Twitter (now known as X) saying, ‘I’m not going to delete these videos’. Defiant. He has also been accused by the UP administration of insulting the Chief Minister. An FIR came to be registered at the instance of a UP resident,” the counsel of the Dera chief had said.
