The Delhi High Court is set to hear a defamation case filed by BJP General Secretary Dushyant Gautam against Congress, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), and others regarding posts connecting him to the 2022 Ankita Bhandari murder case. Gautam’s lawyer, Gaurav Bhatia, has requested an early hearing from the court. Seeking the removal of defamatory content and Rs 2 crore in damages, Gautam is at the center of a legal battle.
The case stems from the murder of Ankita Bhandari, a 19-year-old receptionist, which sparked widespread outrage in Uttarakhand in 2022. The controversy reignited after television actor Urmila Sanawar alleged on December 24, 2025, that a senior BJP leader, identified as Dushyant Kumar Gautam, was linked to the case. This accusation has triggered a chain of events involving political parties, law enforcement, and civil society groups.
Ankita Bhandari’s case, initially involving rape and murder at a resort near Rishikesh, took a new turn when a friend mentioned pressure to provide special services to a VIP guest during the investigation. Despite the friend’s claims, the “VIP” connection was not part of the official charge sheet. In a subsequent development, resort owner Pulkit Arya and two employees were sentenced to life imprisonment in May 2025.
