Patna High Court orders takedown of AI video targeting PM Modi and his late mother

In a sharp intervention, the Patna High Court on September 17 ordered Facebook, X, and YouTube to immediately take down a 36-second AI-generated video featuring Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his late mother, Heeraben Modi, that was posted by the Bihar Congress.

The Bench of acting Chief Justice P B Bajanthri and Justice Alok Kumar Sinha, while hearing a Public Interest Litigation, said the video depicting Modi dreaming of his deceased mother who purportedly criticized his politics in poll-bound Bihar violated the Prime Minister’s right to dignity and privacy.

“To avoid further damages, respondents 6–8 are directed not to circulate the subject video clipping henceforth, until further orders,” the Bench ruled, directly instructing the social media platforms to halt its spread.

The PIL, filed by advocate Praveen Kumar on behalf of petitioner Vivekanand Singh, flagged not just the video’s defamatory tone but also its timing: the clip was released during Pitra Paksha, a sacred period when Modi was performing ceremonies for his late mother. The petition alleged the act amounted to “malicious propaganda” capable of corrupting the electoral process, in violation of the Representation of People Act.

The court has issued notices to the Union Government, Bihar Government, the Election Commission, the Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee, and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, directing responses within two weeks.

Advocate Ratnesh Kushwaha, appearing for the Centre, welcomed the ruling, stating, “In public life, making such AI videos or comments about the mother of any dignitary is unacceptable.”

The controversy comes amid heightened political sparring ahead of Bihar’s elections. The video surfaced days after a Congress rally in Darbhanga where derogatory remarks were made against Modi and his mother, triggering outrage from the BJP and NDA allies who accused the Congress of crossing the line of decency.

Congress, however, maintained that the video showed no disrespect and was marked as “AI-generated.”

By invoking Supreme Court precedents on privacy and dignity, the Patna High Court has signalled zero tolerance for AI-driven political content that intrudes upon personal grief or threatens electoral fairness.