New Delhi: BJP national spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia has filed a Rs 2-crore defamation suit against leaders of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), with the Delhi High Court scheduled to hear the matter on Thursday. The dispute relates to an AI-generated graphic shared on social media that allegedly attributed remarks to Bhatia that he says he never made.

Bhatia has approached the Delhi High Court seeking Rs 2 crore in damages from CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke and co-convenors Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka.

According to the case details cited in the report, Bhatia has also sought directions preventing the defendants from publishing or circulating the allegedly defamatory material. He has sought removal of the disputed content from social media platforms.

The matter is scheduled to come up before the Delhi High Court on Thursday.

What was the disputed social media post?

The dispute centres on an AI-generated graphic that was circulated on social media and allegedly attributed comments to Bhatia about social media personality Swatantra Bhardwaj.

The graphic reportedly claimed that Bhatia had used terms including "dimagi naxal" and "jaatiwaadi" for Bhardwaj. Bhatia has maintained that he did not make those remarks.

According to the suit, the graphic was shared by Saurav Das and subsequently amplified by others associated with CJP.

According to the case details, Bhatia had sought deletion of the post and an unconditional apology.

The graphic was later removed, and Das described it as AI-generated. Bhatia, however, has argued that its circulation had already caused reputational harm and that the material continued to circulate online.

The suit therefore seeks monetary damages as well as restrictions on further publication or circulation of the disputed content.

Bhatia's warning ahead of hearing

Ahead of the hearing, Bhatia posted a strongly worded message on social media.

He said the "era of lies and conspiracies is over" and that the dispute would now be fought through facts, evidence and law. He also indicated that the issue would be decided through legal proceedings rather than social media exchanges.

The lawsuit also reportedly raises broader concerns about social media posts by CJP leaders concerning judicial orders. Bhatia's petition alleges that some of the posts went beyond criticism of individual judicial decisions and amounted to attacks on constitutional institutions, including the judiciary.

These allegations form part of the broader legal dispute and will have to be considered through the court proceedings.

The defendants have not yet filed their response before the Delhi High Court, according to the report.

The immediate focus will be on the hearing scheduled for Thursday, when the court is expected to consider the matter. The allegations made in the suit remain claims at this stage. The court's proceedings and any response from the defendants will determine how the dispute develops.

The case comes amid growing legal and public debate over AI-generated content shared on social media.