Uttarakhand HC Upholds 2 FIRs Against Suresh Rathore Over Social Media Posts Linking BJP Leader To Ankita Bhandari's Murder

The Uttarakhand High Court has quashed two FIRs against former MLA Suresh Rathore accused of uploading allegedly objectionable social media posts pertaining to the Ankita Bhandari Murder case.

The court however refused to quash two other FIRs lodged on the behest of complainants Arti Gaur and BJP leader and party's National General Secretary Dushyant Kumar Gautam, after observing that maligining a person's image to implicate over a serious crime when case has already concluded is a serious issue.

With respect to the FIRs that were quashed the court found that these (FIR bearing FIR Nos. 0356 of 2026 and FIR No. 534 of 2025)  contained the same allegations as alleged in FIR No. 0004 of 2026 which was lodged by  Dushyant Kumar Gautam. The court thus held that the informant in FIR Nos. 0356 of 2026 and FIR No. 534 were neither the victim nor the affected party, and hence the court quashed these two FIRs. 

Justice Rakesh Thapliyal in his order after perusing transcription of certain video clips, the Court observed that uploading videos on social media platform with an intention to malign the image of a person "appears to be a serious issue particularly when the allegations are without any substance".

It further said that projecting the involvement of the respondent/complainant in a murder case of Ankita Bhandari that too when the trial is already over and the accused persons have already been convicted and the appeal against conviction is pending before the Court, "is also really a serious issue".

"Projecting a person to be involved in a heinous crime with an ulterior purpose and motive, may be for a political gain, is required to be investigated. No one has a right to malign the image of a person by uploading the messages and videos in the social media. If a person has any evidence or any information then he may make a complaint to the competent officer so that the competent officer may inquire but no one has a right to upload such messages and the videos in the social media. Everybody is governed by law and no one is above the law and the social media platforms are not meant for all these purposes particularly to malign the image of a person. The social media platform may be used to highlight basic issue of public at large and not for any other vested purposes," the court remarked. 

With respect to the other two FIRs, FIR No. 0420 of 2025 and FIR No. 004 of 2026, the court noted that these were lodged by the informant who are in fact are the victim. 

The court said that after going through the transcription of certain video clips as uploaded in different social media platforms as well as the judgment of Delhi High Court, it took the view that these two FIRs disclosed  "prima facie cognizable offences, therefore, requires thorough investigation and cannot be quashed". 

The court further said:

"To malign the image of a person in order to implicate in a case of heinous crime which has already been concluded is really a serious issue and why such conversations and the video clips have been uploaded in the social media platform certainly requires thorough investigation. No doubt the petitioner is from a political background and the informant of FIR No. 0004 of 2026 is also from political background, therefore, this aspect is also required to be investigated whether there was the political agenda behind this and whether such conversations were uploaded in social media platform with some ulterior purposes and motive. Therefore, this Court is of the view that both these two FIRs, i.e. FIR No. 0420 of 2025 lodged by Ms. Arti Gaur and FIR No. 0004 of 2026 lodged by Mr. Dushyant Kumar Gautam cannot be quashed". 

The court passed the order in four petitions pertaining to four FIRs filed under the provisions of BNS and Information Technology (Amendment) Act.

It was alleged that Rathore had uploaded fake audio and video clips against the complainants to implicate them in the Ankita Bhandari murder case. 

The petitioner, who is admittedly having a political background and was Ex. M.L.A., claimed that he was aggrieved by these four FIRs lodged by different persons in different police stations and prayed for quashing of FIRs on the ground that each of these FIRs does not disclose any cognizable offence. 

The counsel for the respondent-complainant argued that various audio clips were uploaded on different social media platform by Urmila Sanavar @ Urmila Rathore in which extremely vulgar and abusive language was used against Dushyant Kumar Gautam who is National President of “Sant Shiromani Guru Ravidas Akhara Bharat”, and such conversation make an impression in the mind of the followers of “Ravidas Community” that Gautam is a person who have a nexus with Ankita Bhandari's murder case.

Gautam has alleged that the personal conversation of Suresh Rathore and Urmila Sanavar reveals that they conspired in an organized manner to tarnish the image of the complainant only to get some political mileage to show that the complainant an alleged VIP had sought “extra services”. He further referred to Delhi High Court's order directing various parties including Congress, Aam Aadmi Party to take down allegedly defamatory publications from social media linking Gautam to the murder case.

Meanwhile the State argued that all the FIRs are under investigation and cooperation of petitioner is required since the I.O. is conducting investigation from every angle. It was submitted that the I.O. collected audio clip containing the alleged conversation of petitioner with co-accused “Urmila Sanavar” from which it is revealed that the petitioner and the other co-accused are using abusive and filthy language and certain audio clips also contains the conversation with regard to “Ankita Bhandari's” murder case. 

It was submitted that the original voice sample of petitioner as well as of co-accused “Urmila Sanavar” has been sent for forensic analysis to CFL (Centre Forensic Lab) Chandigarh alongwith their mobile phones after obtaining the permission from the court and the report are still awaited. 

The court thus dismissed Writ Petition No. 1801 of 2025 and Writ Petition No. 96 of 2026, and allowed Writ Petition No. 39 of 2026 and Writ Petition No. 13 of 2026. 

Case title: Suresh Rathore v/s State of Uttarakhand and Others

Criminal Writ Petition No. 96 of 2026, 1801 of 2025, 39 of 2026 and 13 of 2026

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