Delhi high court orders removal of deepfake pics showing woman with PM Modi; notice issued to CJP leaders, cops

The Delhi high court’s directions came after the plea was taken up for an urgent hearing.

NEW DELHI: Delhi high court on Friday granted police protection to a woman who has alleged that Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) leaders Saurav Das, Abhijit Dipke, Ashutosh Ranka and Ratna Singh posted and circulated an alleged deepfake picture of her alongside PM Narendra Modi on social media pursuant to which she allegedly received threats.The HC ordered immediate takedown of the objectionable photos noting it is not just a matter of the lady but also about the Prime Minister of the country.“If they are not sensitive, we will ensure they become sensitive,” HC warned seeking stand of the CJP leaders.The court’s directions came after the plea was taken up for an urgent hearing.The matter had been mentioned before the bench by advocate Umesh Sharma, who said that an FIR had already been registered in connection with the allegations.The plea sought the removal and blocking of certain fabricated and deepfake pictures purportedly showing the woman’s morphed face in vulgar images alongside Prime Minister Narendra Modi.The petitioner alleged that during recent protests held by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, respondents No. 2 to 5, identified as CJP leaders, along with their active accomplices, “unauthorisedly harvested” her personal photograph and used Artificial Intelligence (AI) face-swapping tools to morph her face onto a “highly vulgar, compromising image” alongside the Prime Minister of India.The plea further alleged that despite an FIR being registered, no concrete steps had been taken to apprehend those responsible or ensure the immediate takedown or blocking of the viral deepfake links.