Isabella Mariam

The Patna High Court on Wednesday (September 17) directed the removal of an AI-generated video shared by the Bihar Congress, which depicted Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his late mother, Heeraben Modi. The Court ordered that the video be taken down from all social media platforms.

The bench, comprising Acting Chief Justice PB Bajanthri and Justice Alok Kumar Sinha, instructed digital intermediaries—Meta Platforms, Google India (YouTube), and X (formerly Twitter) India—to immediately halt circulation of the video. The judges cited landmark Supreme Court rulings such as KS Puttaswamy, NALSA Foundation, and Subramanian Swamy, which affirm that privacy and dignity are fundamental rights.

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"To avoid further damages, if any, respondents 6-8 are hereby directed not to circulate the subject video clipping from here afterwards until further orders to be passed by this Court," the bench stated.

The order came in response to a Public Interest Litigation filed by advocate Vivekanand Singh, who sought the video’s removal on the grounds that it was offensive and violated personal dignity.

The Court has also issued notices to the Union Government, the Bihar Government, the Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee, the Election Commission of India, and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.

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The contested video portrays Prime Minister Modi dreaming of his late mother, who appears to rebuke him for his policies, including demonetisation. The petitioner described the video as “disgusting, disgraceful, distasteful and dishonouring”, particularly toward the Prime Minister’s deceased mother. He further alleged that the video was released with Rahul Gandhi’s knowledge.

Senior Advocate Santosh Kumar, appearing for the petitioner, held that the video was published during pitru paksh, a period of ancestral rituals observed by the Prime Minister for his late mother. He argued that the video not only insulted the PM’s family but also mocked policies like demonetisation, which had already been upheld by the Supreme Court.

“Worst kind of calumny is inflicted upon the Prime Minister,” he submitted.