New Delhi, Jan. 7 -- The Delhi High Court on Wednesday restrained several defendants including Indian National Congress (INC) and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) from publishing or circulating social media content allegedly linking Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Dushyant Kumar Gautam to the Ankita Bhandari murder case, after finding that a prima facie case of defamation was made out.

The matter is being heard by Justice Mini Pushkarna, who passed an ad-interim ex parte order in favour of the plaintiff.

Dictating the order in open court, Justice Pushkarna recorded that the application had been filed seeking ad-interim relief against defendants who had "published and amplified various allegations" imputing the plaintiff with defamatory claims....