A Jalandhar court has ordered social media platforms to immediately block a fake and digitally manipulated video of former Delhi CM Atishi, citing threat to communal harmony. The court invoked IT Rules, 2021, and directed Meta, X, and Telegram to remove all versions of the content and submit a compliance report within 10 days.
The Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (ACJM) court in Jalandhar on Thursday ordered the immediate removal and blocking of a “doctored” video that falsely showed former Delhi Chief Minister Atishi making controversial remarks about the ninth Sikh Guru, Guru Tegh Bahadur.
The court held that the video was digitally manipulated and had the potential to disturb communal peace and public order in Punjab.
The order was passed after the Jalandhar Cyber Crime Police moved an application before the court, stating that the circulation of the fake video could seriously harm religious harmony in the state.
The court agreed with the police submission and observed that such content posed a clear threat to public tranquility.
Invoking Rule 3(d) of the Information Technology Rules, 2021, the court directed social media platforms Meta (Facebook and Instagram), X, and Telegram to take down the video linked to specific URLs without delay.
“The allegedly offensive material is directed to be removed forthwith and in any event within 24 hours of the receipt of the court order,”
the bench observed.
The court further instructed that all identical, mirror, or derivative versions of the video must also be blocked whenever identified by the Punjab Cyber Crime Department. It also directed the authorities to submit a compliance report within 10 days.
During the hearing, the police informed the court that a detailed technical investigation had conclusively proved that the video was fake. Initially, social media experts examined the clip using the AI tool Gemini to detect possible digital manipulation. This preliminary analysis was followed by a detailed forensic examination at the State Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) in Mohali.
“The FSL report, based on auditory and spectrographic examination, concluded that the word ‘Guru’ was never uttered by Atishi in the video. The captions were deliberately added to attribute words to her that she never spoke,”
the police told the court.
An FIR in the matter was registered on January 7 after a complaint was filed by local Aam Aadmi Party leader Iqbal Singh Bagga. The complaint alleged that the video was deliberately circulated on social media to create political controversy and communal tension.
According to the FIR, the video was shared by Delhi minister Kapil Mishra, Congress MLAs Sukhpal Singh Khaira and Pargat Singh, and Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal from their X accounts.
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The issue also led to strong reactions from the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, while Delhi Assembly Speaker Vijender Gupta sought a written explanation from the Punjab Police regarding the progress of the investigation by Thursday.
The FIR has been registered under Sections 196(1) for promoting enmity and 353 for public mischief under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with Section 66(c) of the Information Technology Act, dealing with identity theft and misuse of electronic records.
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