Court Orders Removal of Alleged Deepfake Video Involving Modi and Adani

Court Ruling in Ahmedabad

An Ahmedabad court in Gujarat has issued a directive for the Congress party and four of its senior leaders to remove a purported deepfake video from social media platforms. This video allegedly features Prime Minister Narendra Modi and industrialist Gautam Adani, and its continued circulation could severely damage the party's reputation, according to the court. The interim order was delivered on December 18 by Additional Civil Judge Shrikant Sharma during a defamation lawsuit filed by Adani Enterprises Limited. The court instructed Congress leaders Jairam Ramesh, Supriya Shrinate, Pawan Khera, and Uday Bhanu Chhib to eliminate the controversial video from all portals and digital media within 48 hours of the order.

The contentious video was uploaded to the official Congress party handle on December 17, claiming to show a conversation between Modi and Adani, with a caption suggesting a close relationship between them, implying they are profiting at the expense of the nation. The complainant argued that the video is a deepfake, containing false and malicious allegations related to criminal activities, corruption, and abuse of political influence against the Adani Group and its promoters. Adani Enterprises contended that this material was fabricated and intended to harm their long-established reputation.