The Delhi High Court on Friday said it would pass orders to remove deepfake videos falsely showing Congress Member of Parliament Shashi Tharoor praising Pakistan, while hearing his plea seeking protection of his personality rights, according to a Bar and Bench report.
Justice Mini Pushkarna issued summons to the Centre, Meta and X, asking them to file replies within four weeks. “(Blocking) orders will be passed,” the court said during the hearing.
The matter was first taken up on Thursday, when the court said it would hear the case on May 8. In his petition, Tharoor alleged that AI-generated videos and morphed content circulating online used his face, voice and mannerisms to falsely portray him as making statements in support of Pakistan.
According to the plea, some videos portrayed him calling Pakistan’s diplomatic strategy “absolute brilliance” and claiming that “Pakistan is faring much better diplomatically than India.” Tharoor argued that the clips were fabricated using artificial intelligence and were realistic enough to mislead viewers, including journalists and political observers.
The petition said the videos were circulated during the Kerala election campaign and were intended to damage his public image and influence public opinion. It also claimed that the fabricated clips misled members of the public, political circles, and foreign journalists.
Senior Advocate Amit Sibal, appearing for Tharoor, told the Court, “We have complained to the authorities, but these deepfakes keep coming back like ten heads of Ravana.”
The plea further argued, “They have misappropriated my personality and created these videos praising another country to my detriment. I have been the External Affairs Minister. It matters to India’s standing as well.”
During the hearing, counsel for Meta informed the Court that the Instagram links identified by Tharoor had already been taken down and were no longer accessible. The Court, however, said it would still issue orders regarding the removal of the disputed content.
The case comes amid growing disputes over personality rights linked to AI-generated content and deepfakes. In recent months, the Delhi High Court has heard similar cases involving actors and public figures, including Allu Arjun, Anil Kapoor, and Amitabh Bachchan, over the unauthorised use of their names, images, voices and likenesses online.
Last month, the Delhi High Court granted interim protection to Allu Arjun against AI tools, fake voice generators, chatbot profiles and sexually explicit content allegedly using his identity without consent. The order also directed online intermediaries to remove infringing content upon notification by the actor.
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