New Delhi: A defamation suit has been filed against YouTuber Dhruv Rathee before a district court in Delhi over a video allegedly claiming that Lord Ram and Goddess Sita consumed meat and alcohol during their exile. The legal action follows allegations that a portion of the video was reuploaded despite an earlier government directive to remove the original content.

The case, filed before the Saket Court, seeks a declaration, an injunction and damages for defamation. The court has adjourned the matter to November 5 after technical difficulties interrupted arguments presented through video conferencing.

Supreme Court Advocate-on-Record Amita Sachdeva, who provided details of the proceedings, said the dispute began after Rathee published a video containing claims about Lord Ram and Sita.

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"Some time ago, Dhruv Rathee published a video claiming that Lord Shri Ram and Mother Sita consumed meat and alcohol during their exile. We took the matter regarding that video to the Delhi High Court, and the Delhi High Court directed the Govt of India to have the video removed."

According to Sachdeva, the petitioners initially approached the Delhi High Court seeking the removal of the video. Following the proceedings, the Union government directed YouTube to take down the content on July 15, 2026.

She alleged that a three-minute excerpt from the original 21-minute video subsequently resurfaced online after the earlier petition was disposed of.

"On July 15, 2026, the Govt of India directed YouTube to take down the video, after which that petition was disposed of. Following the disposal of the petition, someone extracted a three-minute segment from that 21-minute video and re-uploaded it."

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The alleged reupload prompted the petitioners to approach the Delhi High Court once again.

Sachdeva said the High Court granted them liberty to initiate fresh legal proceedings against Rathee and seek appropriate remedies.

"We approached the Delhi High Court again. The Court granted us the liberty to file a fresh petition or suit against Dhruv Rathee and seek appropriate relief. Acting on that liberty, we filed a suit today in the Saket Court, before the Learned District Judge, seeking a declaration, an injunction, and damages for defamation; the matter was listed for hearing today," she said.

The matter came up for hearing before the district judge on Thursday, with senior counsel Makarand Natkar appearing on behalf of the petitioners through video conferencing.

However, the arguments could not be completed because of technical problems with the virtual hearing connection.

"Today, my senior counsel, Makarand Natkar, presented his submissions. He appeared via video conferencing (VC), but due to some technical issues with the VC connection, the submissions could not be completed. Consequently, the Learned District Judge adjourned the matter to November 5, when we will present our fresh submissions," Sachdeva said.

The court is now scheduled to hear the matter on November 5.