New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Friday directed police to provide protection to a woman who has alleged that leaders of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) circulated AI-generated morphed images showing her alongside Prime Minister Narendra Modi, following which she allegedly received threats.
Justice Girish Kathpalia also directed the immediate removal of the objectionable images and issued notices to CJP leaders Saurav Das, Abhijit Dipke, Ashutosh Ranka and Ratna Singh. The court observed that the matter concerned not only the woman but also the Prime Minister.
The directions came during an urgent hearing of the woman’s plea seeking the blocking and removal of the alleged deepfake content from online platforms. Advocate Umesh Sharma, appearing for the petitioner, informed the court that an FIR had already been registered in connection with the allegations.
According to the petition, the woman’s photograph was allegedly obtained without authorisation during a CJP protest at Jantar Mantar and manipulated using AI-based face-swapping technology. She alleged that the fabricated images were subsequently circulated online and that their dissemination led to threats against her.
The petitioner further claimed that despite the FIR, effective steps had not been taken to trace those responsible or prevent further circulation of the alleged deepfake material. She has sought directions for the removal and blocking of the content from social media and other websites.
The allegations against the CJP leaders have not been adjudicated by the court. The High Court’s directions came at the stage of considering the woman’s request for urgent protection and removal of the alleged objectionable material.
