Deepfake Row: Delhi HC Directs Meta to Remove Allegedly Manipulated Image

The Delhi High Court on Friday directed Meta Platforms to remove within 24 hours allegedly objectionable online content involving a woman who claimed that an AI-generated and morphed image of her with Prime Minister Narendra Modi was circulated following its display at a protest at Jantar Mantar.

A single-judge Bench of Justice Girish Kathpalia also directed the Delhi Police to provide complete protection to the petitioner and issued notices to CJP activists Saurav Das, Abhijit Dipke, Ashutosh Ranka and Ratna Singh in connection with her plea seeking urgent removal of the alleged content.

The court directed the Delhi Police to file a status report detailing the action taken and listed the matter for further hearing on October 14.

During the hearing, the Delhi Police informed the court that an FIR had already been registered in connection with the alleged circulation of the content and said that necessary action would be taken expeditiously.

The court also directed its registry to redact the disputed web links from the petition and its annexures. At the same time, the petitioner was directed to provide the concerned photographs and videos, along with the web links, to the investigating agency in electronic form.

The court orally observed that the petitioner could seek compensation from the organisers of the demonstration and clarified that filing the petition would not prevent her from pursuing any other legal remedies available to her.

According to the petition, the woman alleged that her photograph had been obtained without authorisation and manipulated using AI face-swapping technology to create a vulgar and compromising image showing her alongside the Prime Minister.

She further alleged that the manipulated images and videos were uploaded on Instagram and other social media platforms and later circulated on pornographic websites.

The alleged incident took place in July during a CJP protest, following which the petitioner approached the police on September 23, citing online harassment and threats of sexual assault. The Delhi Police subsequently registered an FIR at the Cyber Police Station, New Delhi, on September 24 under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Information Technology Act.

The plea alleged that despite the FIR, immediate measures had not been taken to block or remove the allegedly viral material. It sought directions to trace, block and remove the alleged morphed content from social media platforms and pornographic websites, besides seeking protection of the petitioner's life, liberty and bodily integrity.