The Patna High Court on Wednesday directed the immediate removal of an AI-generated video circulated by the Bihar Congress that depicted Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his late mother, Heeraben Modi. The Court ordered that the controversial video be taken down from all social media platforms and restrained further circulation to safeguard the right to privacy, dignity, and reputation.

A bench led by Acting Chief Justice PB Bajanthri and Justice Alok Kumar Sinha passed the order while hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by petitioner Vivekanand Singh, who sought judicial intervention against what he termed as a “disgusting, disgraceful and distasteful” video.

Court’s Observations and Directions

The Court referred to landmark Supreme Court rulings, including K.S. Puttaswamy v. Union of India (privacy), NALSA v. Union of India (dignity of life), and Subramanian Swamy v. Union of India (reputation and rights of individuals), emphasizing that the dignity of a person—living or deceased—is protected under Article 21 of the Constitution.

To prevent further harm, the bench directed major online intermediaries—Meta Platforms (Facebook/Instagram), Google India (YouTube), and X (formerly Twitter)—to immediately stall the circulation of the video if it is still available.

“Respondents 6 to 8 are hereby directed not to circulate the subject video clipping from here afterwards until further orders to be passed by this Court,” the order stated.

Parties Issued Notice

The Court has also issued notice to the Union Government, Bihar Government, Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee (BPCC), the Election Commission of India (ECI), and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to respond on the matter.

The Controversial Video

The video in question depicted Prime Minister Modi dreaming of his late mother, who appears to reprimand him for policies like demonetisation. The petitioner argued that the video was designed to humiliate the Prime Minister and dishonour the memory of his late mother, especially since it coincided with Pitru Paksh, a sacred period when PM Modi was performing rituals for his mother.

Senior Advocate Santosh Kumar, appearing for the petitioner, told the Court that this amounted to the “worst kind of calumny inflicted upon the Prime Minister.” He also pointed out that demonetisation, one of the policies mocked in the video, had already been upheld by the Supreme Court.

Next Steps

The High Court will continue to hear the matter after receiving responses from the respondents. Meanwhile, the order ensures that the AI-generated video cannot be circulated until further judicial directions.