Delhi High Court Orders Immediate Removal of Offensive Deepfake Image Involving PM Modi

Court Takes Action Against Morphed Image

New Delhi: On Friday, the Delhi High Court instructed Meta Platforms to promptly eliminate a woman's altered image that was shared on social media alongside Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Justice Girish Kathpalia remarked that this situation transcends the individual case of one woman, as it also involves the Prime Minister of the nation. He emphasized that if the Delhi Police fails to act sensitively, the court will intervene to ensure appropriate action is taken.

The court has also issued notices to leaders of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)—Saurav Das, Abhijit Dipke, Ashutosh Ranka, and Ratna Singh—following a complaint from the woman, who claims they disseminated her morphed and explicit image with the Prime Minister.

Scheduled for further proceedings on October 14, the court has mandated that the police provide full protection to the woman, who reported receiving threats to her safety.

The woman's complaint alleges that CJP leaders manipulated and shared vulgar deepfake images featuring her face alongside Prime Minister Modi.

Her legal representative stated that a First Information Report (FIR) has been filed regarding this matter, but expressed concerns that no significant actions have been taken to identify those responsible or to ensure the swift removal of the viral deepfake content.

The plea highlighted that during recent protests by the CJP at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, the accused leaders, along with their associates, unlawfully obtained the woman's personal photograph and used AI face-swapping technology to superimpose her face onto a highly inappropriate image with the Prime Minister.