Delhi Court orders removal of posts linking BJP leader to Ankita Bhandari murder case

Delhi High Court on Wednesday (January 7, 2026) directed Congress, AAP, and others to remove posts within 24 hours linking BJP national general secretary Dushyant Kumar Gautam to Ankita Bhandari murder case.

In an interim order passed on a defamation suit by Mr. Gautam, Justice Mini Pushkarna also restrained the two political parties from posting any content targeting the BJP national secretary as the alleged “VIP” in the murder case.

The Court also passed the interim order against other persons and entities, including Urmila Sanawar and Uttarakhand Pradesh Congress Committee.

Justice Pushkarna said Mr. Gautam had made out a prima facie case in his favour and if the interim order to restrain the hosting of the “defamatory” content was not passed, irreparable injury would be caused to him.

The controversy sparked after a viral video and alleged audio of Urmila Sanawar, who claims to be the wife of former MLA Suresh Rathore. In the video, she alleged that a person named ‘Gattu’ was involved in the 2022 murder of Ankita Bhandari, a resort receptionist killed by her employer for refusing sexual favours.

In another video, Ms. Sanawar also revealed the identity of ‘Gattu’, which has reportedly hurt Dushyant Gautam.

In 2022, 19-year-old Bhandari, a receptionist at the Vanantra Resort in Pauri district, was murdered. The resort owner, Pulkit Arya, and two employees, Saurabh Bhaskar and Ankit Gupta were subsequently arrested and sentenced to life imprisonment by a sessions court for the crime.

(With PTI inputs)