Delhi High Court - Orders
Sadhvi Deepika Bharti & Anr vs Satlok Ashram Foundation & Ors on 1 August, 2025
Author: Amit Bansal
Bench: Amit Bansal
$~55
* IN THE HIGH COURT OF DELHI AT NEW DELHI
+ CS(OS) 511/2025 with I.A. 18629/2025, I.A. 18630/2025 & I.A.
18631/2025
SADHVI DEEPIKA BHARTI & ANR. .....Plaintiffs
Through: Mr. Raghav Awasthi, Ms. Nabeena
Ali Kadli & Mr. Fatehh Singh
Majithia, Advocates for plaintiff no.1.
Ms. Simran Brar, Advocate for
plaintiff no.2.
versus
SATLOK ASHRAM FOUNDATION & ORS. .....Respondents
Through: Ms. Shruttima Ehersa, Advocate for
D-6 (through VC).
Mr. Varun Pathak, Mr. Thejesh
Rajendran, Ms. Sana Banyal & Ms.
Anannya Gogoi, Advocates for D-7.
CORAM:
HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE AMIT BANSAL
ORDER
% 01.08.2025 I.A. 18631/2025 (exemption from filing of electronic evidence certificate)
1. Allowed, subject to the plaintiffs filing the document within four (4) weeks from today.
2. The application is disposed of.
CS(OS) 511/2025
3. Let the plaint be registered as a suit.
4. None appears on behalf of the defendants no.1 and 2 despite advance service.
CS(OS) 511/2025 Page 1 of 7This is a digitally signed order.
The authenticity of the order can be re-verified from Delhi High Court Order Portal by scanning the QR code shown above. The Order is downloaded from the DHC Server on 04/08/2025 at 22:48:28
5. Issue summons.
6. Summons are accepted by the counsel appearing for the defendants no.6 and 7, who waive the issuance of formal summons.
7. Summons be issued to the defendants no.1 and 2, through all permissible modes. Affidavit of service be filed within two weeks.
8. The summons shall state that the written statement(s) shall be filed by the defendants within thirty days from the date of the receipt of summons. Along with the written statement(s), the defendants shall also file affidavit of admission/denial of the documents of the plaintiffs, without which the written statement(s) shall not be taken on record.
9. Liberty is given to the plaintiffs to file replication(s), if any, within thirty days from the receipt of the written statement(s). Along with the replication(s) filed by the plaintiffs, affidavit of admission/denial of the documents of the defendants be filed by the plaintiffs.
10. It is made clear that any unjustified denial of documents may lead to an order of costs against the concerned party.
11. If any of the parties wish to seek inspection of any documents, the same shall be sought and given within the timelines.
12. List before the Joint Registrar on 6th October, 2025.
13. List before the Court on 28th January, 2026.
I.A. 18629/2025 (under Order XXXIX Rule 1 and 2 of CPC)
14. The present suit has been filed seeking permanent and mandatory injunction against the defendants no.1 and 2, restraining them from posting/hosting/publishing/circulating/uploading and/or disseminating, morphed and misleading content, including but not limited to videos, using content owned by the plaintiffs, along with other ancillary reliefs.
CS(OS) 511/2025 Page 2 of 7This is a digitally signed order.
The authenticity of the order can be re-verified from Delhi High Court Order Portal by scanning the QR code shown above. The Order is downloaded from the DHC Server on 04/08/2025 at 22:48:28
15. The case set up in the plaint is that the plaintiff no.1 is an Indian Hindu scholar and is a sanyasi disciple of Shri Ashutosh Maharaj Ji, who was the founder of the plaintiff no.2 organisation. The plaintiff no.1 is a preacher at the plaintiff no.2 organisation.
16. It is averred in the plaint that the plaintiff no.1 has a large following on the YouTube Channel hosted by the plaintiff no.2 organisation. The plaintiffs have provided an exhaustive list of the official social media handles of the plaintiff no.1 in paragraph 3 of the plaint.
17. The plaintiff no.2 is a socio-spiritual, not-for-profit organization established under the mentorship of His Holiness Shri Ashutosh Maharaj Ji. An exhaustive list of the plaintiff no.2's official social media handles is provided in paragraph 4 of the plaint.
18. The defendant no.1, Satlok Ashram Foundation, is an organisation started by one Sant Rampal Maharaj.
19. The grievance of the plaintiff in the present suit is that the defendant no.1 and/or the followers of the defendant no.1 have published morphed/ misleading and infringing videos containing the plaintiffs' original content.
20. An illustration of the defendants infringing activities is provided in paragraphs 13 to 17 of the plaint wherein it is stated that on 28th June, 2025, a member of the plaintiff no.2 organisation came across a video posted by the defendant no.2 on the said date containing snippets from an original video of the plaintiffs of an event organized in 2018 by the plaintiff no.1 mixed with images and videos of Shri Sant Rampal Singh, founder of defendant no. 1 organization.
21. It is the case of the plaintiffs that original content from the plaintiffs' original video has been taken unlawfully by the defendants no.1 and 2 and CS(OS) 511/2025 Page 3 of 7 This is a digitally signed order.
The authenticity of the order can be re-verified from Delhi High Court Order Portal by scanning the QR code shown above. The Order is downloaded from the DHC Server on 04/08/2025 at 22:48:28 has been intentionally and maliciously morphed with images of Shri Rampal Singh at time stamps 1:27, 2:43 and across the defendants no.2 and 3's video (both videos being same). A screenshot of the said video, which shows the morphed content, is given in paragraph 14 of the plaint and is being set out below: -
22. It is contended that the plaintiff no.1 in the original video was talking about the coming of the 'Kalki Avatar' with reference to Shri Ashutosh Maharaj Ji, founder of the plaintiff no.2 organisation, however, the maker of the infringing video manipulated the original video with photos of Shri Rampal Singh to make it look like the plaintiff no.1 is referring to Shri Rampal Singh as the 'Kalki Avatar', to cause confusion in the minds of and with an intent to deceive the public at large.
CS(OS) 511/2025 Page 4 of 7This is a digitally signed order.
The authenticity of the order can be re-verified from Delhi High Court Order Portal by scanning the QR code shown above. The Order is downloaded from the DHC Server on 04/08/2025 at 22:48:28
23. It is stated in the plaint that the infringing video is misleading the public into believing that the plaintiff no.1, who is, in fact, a preacher at the plaintiff no.2 organisation, is associated with Shri Rampal Singh and the defendant no.1 organisation and that she is speaking in reference to him as being 'kalki avatar', which is wholly untrue and is highly defamatory to the plaintiffs.
24. The defendants no.2 to 5 are the weblinks of the profiles of people who have posted the infringing and misleading videos by morphing the original video containing content of the preachings of the plaintiff no.1.
25. The plaintiffs have given details of the morphed videos in the following table:
Def no. Instagram handle Weblink
or YouTube available with
Handle Plaintiff
Def no. 1 @Satlokashram ( https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_fEW2qONh
YouTube channel) KMeeIHyS7wWKA
Def no. 2 Not visible since it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRo6CWA0lJc
is temporarily &t=22
blocked by
Defendant no. 6-
Google
Def no. 3 "@SatKabira https://youtu.be/jxbcoASSUt4?si=hmEeYqYh-
yodhya" ( YpXEi-8
YouTube
username)
Def No. 4 @mamtanidhi https://www.instagram.co
d asi' m/reel/DLd86eSPH4t/?ut
Instagram m_source=ig_web_copy_l
handle ink
CS(OS) 511/2025 Page 5 of 7
This is a digitally signed order.
The authenticity of the order can be re-verified from Delhi High Court Order Portal by scanning the QR code shown above. The Order is downloaded from the DHC Server on 04/08/2025 at 22:48:28 Def No. 5 @adhyatmik_gyan https://www.youtube.com/shorts/uHbAEzsWqSE _ganga' Youtube username
26. It is the case of the plaintiffs that the aforesaid videos are false and defamatory to the plaintiffs and have been made with an intent to deceive the viewing public into believing that the plaintiff no.1 is associated with the defendant no.1 organisation.
27. A prima facie case is made out on behalf of the plaintiffs.
28. Balance of convenience is in favour of the plaintiffs and against the defendants.
29. In light of the aforesaid analysis, till the next date of hearing, the defendants no.1 to 5 are restrained from creating any fake and morphed videos and using any content owned by the plaintiffs.
30. Accordingly, a direction is issued to the defendants no.6 and 7 to take down the videos/links of the defendants no.1 to 5 as mentioned in paragraph 20 above within 24 hours from today.
31. Further, the defendants no.6 and 7 are directed to disclose the basic subscription information in respect of the uploaders of the impugned videos/links, within three (3) weeks from today.
32. Compliance of Order XXXIX Rule 3 of the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 (CPC) shall be filed within three (3) days from today. The necessary affidavit shall be filed within one week thereafter.
33. None appears on behalf of the defendants no.1 and 2 despite advance service.
34. Issue notice.
35. Notice is accepted by the counsel appearing on behalf of the CS(OS) 511/2025 Page 6 of 7 This is a digitally signed order.
The authenticity of the order can be re-verified from Delhi High Court Order Portal by scanning the QR code shown above. The Order is downloaded from the DHC Server on 04/08/2025 at 22:48:28 defendants no.6 and 7.
36. Notice be issued to the defendants no.1 and 2 through all permissible modes.
37. Reply be filed within four weeks from today.
38. Rejoinder thereto, if any, be filed within two weeks thereafter.
39. List before the Joint Registrar on 6th October, 2025.
40. List before the Court on 28th January, 2026.
AMIT BANSAL, J AUGUST 1, 2025/at CS(OS) 511/2025 Page 7 of 7 This is a digitally signed order.
The authenticity of the order can be re-verified from Delhi High Court Order Portal by scanning the QR code shown above. The Order is downloaded from the DHC Server on 04/08/2025 at 22:48:28