Delhi High Court cautions Shyam Meera Singh not to tweet on defamation case by Gurmeet Ram Rahim

The Delhi High Court on Monday cautioned YouTuber and journalist Shyam Meera Singh that it will initiate contempt of court proceedings if he continues to tweet on the ongoing defamation suit filed against him by Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh. .Justice Jasmeet Singh expressed his displeasure over Singh's tweet in which he allegedly said that he had made the YouTube video private due to 'majboori' (compulsion).“Please understand there is a dignity of the Court. You cannot take the Court lightly. Court does not force anyone do no anything. We pass orders as per the legal framework. The Court did not compel you to make the video private. This was a statement made by your counsel. If you do it again, I will initiate contempt against you," Justice Singh remarked.He added that if Singh is right, it will rule in his favour but if he is wrong, it will pass orders against him..Gurmeet Ram Rahim has sued Shyam Meera Singh for defamation in relation to a video published by Singh on his YouTube channel on December 17. The video was titled “How Gurmeet Ram Rahim fooled his bhakts?” The video’s thumbnail read, “Ram Rahim ka asli sach (Ram Rahim’s real truth)”.It is Ram Rahim’s case that the allegations made by Singh in his video are ex-facie misleading and per se defamatory.“In the course of such malicious campaign, Defendants, individually and collectively, inter alia, have made certain statements and allegations which are contrary to the material on record and in public domain and is false to their own knowledge,” the suit stated.It contended that the video has been deliberately uploaded at the time when Ram Rahim’s appeals are due for hearing before the Punjab and Haryana High Court.“The Plaintiff apprehends that the said video has been uploaded with the intention to subject the Plaintiff to a media trial and hold the Plaintiff guilty in the eyes of public even before the appeals are heard and decided by the competent court.”.On the other hand, Singh’s counsel have maintained that the documentary/video made by him is a journalistic work and backed by research.It has been argued that much of facts narrated in the video are based on a book written by another journalist named Anurag Tripathi and that Ram Rahim has not sued Tripathi.It is Singh’s argument that if the video is ordered to be taken down, it will set a wrong precedent..During the last hearing, Senior Advocate Salman Khurshid appeared for Singh and said that both sides will sit together and see what are the alleged defamatory portions of the video and if anything can be done.He gave an undertaking that the video will be made 'private' till the time the two sides discuss the issue..When the matter was taken up today, Senior Advocate Mohit Mathur appeared for Ram Rahim and said that even after the last hearing, Singh had made certain tweets.The Court examined the content of the same and expressed its displeasure."This is very unfair... Please understand, the Court is very competent to pass orders with regard to the merits of the case. We do not coerce anyone to take action," the Court said.The single-judge also spoke to Singh who was present in Court and asked him to be careful in future.The matter was finally adjourned to be heard later this week as Senior Advocate Salman Khurshid was not available today.Gurmeet Ram Rahim was represented by Senior Advocate Mohit Mathur as well as advocates Tanmay Mehta and Shriya Chanda.