NEW DELHI, May 8: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has approached the Delhi High Court seeking legal recourse against the proliferation of artificial intelligence-generated deepfake videos that allegedly depict him making politically sensitive statements and praising Pakistan. The court has issued summons to social media platforms X and Meta Platforms, as well as the central government, in response to the lawsuit filed by the Thiruvananthapuram MP.
Information was available with The Chenab Times that Justice Mini Pushkarna, presiding over the case, indicated an intention to issue an interim order in favour of the plaintiff. Senior advocate Amit Sibal, representing Tharoor, argued before the court that unknown entities are persistently circulating fabricated videos by unlawfully using his likeness, voice, and personal attributes. He contended that this content, detrimental to Tharoor’s reputation as a patriot and his role as chairperson of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs, should be promptly removed.
Sibal highlighted that despite public acknowledgements by media outlets like India Today and PTI about the videos being fake, the public perception continues to be influenced by their apparent authenticity. He further emphasized the gravity of the situation given Tharoor’s former position as the Minister of External Affairs, stating that such content could be exploited by foreign states and negatively impact India’s international standing. While authorities have removed several URLs containing the offending material following grievances filed under IT Rules and police complaints, the content has repeatedly resurfaced, the court was told.
The lawsuit details a coordinated campaign by unidentified infringers, commencing around March 2026, across various social media platforms. These deepfake videos purportedly show Tharoor making politically charged endorsements of Pakistan, statements he denies making. The plea asserts that the unauthorised appropriation and use of Tharoor’s image, voice, and speech patterns constitute a significant violation of his personality and publicity rights, alongside a serious breach of his right to privacy.
The legal document further elaborated that these infringers have leveraged advanced artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies to create hyper-realistic audio-visual deepfakes. These fabricated productions meticulously replicate the plaintiff’s face, voice, vocabulary, and mannerisms, maliciously attributing fabricated statements to him. The timing of this disinformation campaign, coinciding with Tharoor’s active campaigning for the Kerala Legislative Assembly elections in March and early April, made it particularly damaging. The plea argued that the intent behind these deepfakes was to tarnish his patriotic image, manipulate public opinion, and unlawfully interfere with the democratic electoral process.
This legal action follows a pattern of public figures approaching the Delhi High Court to protect their personality and publicity rights from the misuse of AI and deepfake technology. Previously, prominent personalities including actors Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan, and Salman Khan, spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, journalist Sudhir Chaudhary, podcaster Raj Shamani, and Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan have obtained interim relief from the court. In recent times, the court has also extended similar protections to cricketer Gautam Gambhir and actors Sonakshi Sinha, Vivek Oberoi, and Allu Arjun.
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The Chenab Times News Desk
