Delhi High Court Gives GAC 15 Days to Decide Plea Against Dhruv Rathee Video

The Delhi High Court has directed the Central government’s Grievance Appellate Committee to decide within 15 days whether a YouTube video uploaded by content creator Dhruv Rathee should be removed over allegedly objectionable claims concerning Hindu deities.

Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma passed the direction while hearing a petition filed by advocate Amita Sachdeva. The petitioner challenged Rathee’s video titled ‘Can Hindus Eat BEEF? | Kerala Story 2 EXPOSED’, which was uploaded on YouTube on March 21, 2026.

The video allegedly stated that Hindu deities Ram, Seeta and Krishna consumed meat and alcohol. Sachdeva argued that these statements were false, derogatory and offensive to Hindu religious beliefs and the sentiments of devotees.

A Grievance Appellate Committee is a government-established body that hears appeals against decisions taken by social media platforms and other online intermediaries regarding complaints concerning online content, user accounts and platform action.

During the hearing, the Court directed the committee to decide Sachdeva’s pending appeal within 15 days. It also ordered that the decision should be communicated to the High Court once it is taken.

Justice Sharma said the GAC decision must be taken “under intimation to this court” and warned that “any disregard of this order will be taken note of seriously”.

Additional Solicitor General Chetan Sharma, representing the Central government, submitted that YouTube was required to exercise due diligence as an online intermediary. He argued that the platform should remove content considered harmful and capable of creating divisions within society.

He stated, “Either Google says they will do it [take down the video] now, or my ladyship may pass a judgement based on what the Division Bench has said… He [Google’s counsel] should take it down and say he will not permit the such fissiparious content that hurts the sentiments of the majority community.”

Google’s counsel informed the Court that the company had already responded to Sachdeva’s original complaint. The counsel added that she had subsequently approached the GAC by filing an appeal against the platform’s decision.

Sachdeva has alleged that the video amounts to offences under Sections 196, 299 and 302 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. These provisions concern promoting enmity, insulting religious beliefs and deliberately hurting religious feelings.

Apart from approaching the High Court, Sachdeva has filed a criminal complaint before a magistrate. The metropolitan magistrate has reportedly asked the police to submit an action taken report concerning the allegations.

The High Court has not itself ordered the removal of the video. Its present direction requires the GAC to examine the appeal and deliver a reasoned decision within the fixed 15-day period.