Delhi HC disposes of PIL on deepfake videos, asks poll panel to take action

The Delhi High Court on Thursday, 2 May, disposed of a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking measures to curb the spread of deepfake videos during the ongoing Lok Sabha elections, asking the Election Commission of India to address the issue.

The PIL, filed by Lawyers Voice, raised concerns about the potential impact of deepfake content on the electoral process and sought intervention from the court.

A division bench of acting chief justice Manmohan and justice Manmeet P.S. Arora said that the court could not issue directives in the middle of an election, and instead, directed the petitioner to submit a detailed representation to the Election Commission of India (ECI).

Stressing the urgency of the matter, it directed the poll panel to expedite the review of the representation and take appropriate action by 6 May.

Senior advocate Jayant Mehta, representing the petitioner, said that there is a need for stringent measures to address the menace of deepfake videos, citing their potential to spread misinformation rapidly. However, the court refrained from issuing immediate orders, stressing its trust in the ECI to address the issue effectively.

The PIL had sought specific directions from the ECI to formulate guidelines for verifying video messages, prohibiting the use of deepfake technologies in electoral communications, and collecting data on their usage during the election period.

Moreover, the petitioner urged social media platforms such as Google, Meta, and X to take down and block deepfake content related to political leaders until the declaration of election results. The instances of deepfake videos cited in the PIL included misleading clips featuring Bollywood actors Ranveer Singh and Aamir Khan, as well as political figures like Rahul Gandhi and Amit Shah.