Overview
- Delhi High Court is set to hear on Wednesday BJP leader Dushyant Gautam’s defamation suit seeking takedown of posts and about Rs 2 crore in damages over claims linking him to the case.
- Uttarakhand Police registered a defamation FIR in Dehradun naming the Congress, AAP, UKD, actress Urmila Sanawar and ex-MLA Suresh Rathore for allegedly circulating claims about Gautam.
- Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said a Special Investigation Team will verify the viral audio through forensic testing and pledged action against anyone found culpable after verification.
- Dhami pointed to travel and social media records indicating Gautam was not in Uttarakhand between September 10 and 20, 2022, the period referenced in the contentious clips.
- Protests continue across the state with a 11 January bandh call, while the Uttarakhand High Court granted interim protection to Rathore from arrest in the defamation FIR.