Delhi HC to order removal of Shashi Tharoor deepfake videos praising Pakistan
Synopsis
The Delhi High Court has moved to protect Congress MP Shashi Tharoor from AI-generated deepfake videos falsely showing him praising Pakistan — content his counsel warned could damage India's international standing and form part of a coordinated misinformation campaign. The case adds to a growing judicial trend of Indian courts asserting personality rights in the age of generative AI.
Key Takeaways
Delhi High Court on 8 May said it will issue an interim order protecting Shashi Tharoor's personality and publicity rights.
Justice Mini Pushkarna issued summons to the Centre , Meta , and X , directing replies within four weeks .
Three deepfake videos — identical content appearing across different URLs — falsely depict Tharoor praising Pakistan .
Senior advocate Amit Sibal argued the videos pose a threat to Tharoor's reputation and India's international standing .
Meta told the court some identified URLs were already unavailable, but Tharoor's team said similar content kept resurfacing via new links.
The case joins a growing list of high-profile personality rights suits before the Delhi HC involving figures including Gautam Gambhir , Aishwarya Rai Bachchan , and Karan Johar .
The Delhi High Court on Friday, 8 May said it will pass an interim order protecting the personality and publicity rights of Congress MP Shashi Tharoor in a suit seeking the removal of alleged deepfake videos and AI-generated content falsely depicting him as praising Pakistan. A single-judge bench of Justice Mini Pushkarna issued summons on Tharoor's plea and directed respondents — including the Centre and social media intermediaries Meta and X — to file their replies within four weeks.
What the Court Said
While dictating the order, Justice Pushkarna observed that interim directions would be passed
Point of View
Despite repeated takedown complaints under IT Rules, exposes a structural gap: platform compliance is reactive and URL-specific, while AI-generated misinformation is generative and scalable. Courts are stepping in because regulation has not kept pace. The growing queue of celebrities and public figures seeking judicial protection signals that personality rights law is becoming India's de facto deepfake governance — a stopgap, not a solution.
NationPress
12 May 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Delhi High Court case involving Shashi Tharoor about?
The Delhi High Court is hearing a suit filed by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor seeking removal of deepfake videos that falsely depict him praising Pakistan. The court on 8 May said it will pass an interim order protecting his personality and publicity rights, and issued summons to the Centre, Meta, and X.
What are the deepfake videos allegedly showing Shashi Tharoor?
According to Tharoor's counsel, three deepfake videos using AI-generated content falsely attribute politically sensitive pro-Pakistan statements to him. The same video reportedly appears across multiple URLs, and fact-checking organisations have confirmed the content is fabricated.
Who are the respondents in the Shashi Tharoor deepfake case?
The respondents include the Centre (Union government) and social media intermediaries Meta and X. They have been directed to file their replies within four weeks of the summons issued by Justice Mini Pushkarna.
Why does Shashi Tharoor's counsel say the deepfake videos are dangerous?
Senior advocate Amit Sibal argued that the videos could damage Tharoor's reputation and India's international standing, and may be misused by foreign governments as part of a coordinated misinformation campaign. He noted that sections of the public continued to perceive the fake videos as genuine despite fact-checkers debunking them.
Is the Tharoor case the first of its kind in the Delhi High Court?
No. The Delhi High Court has in recent months granted similar personality rights protection to several high-profile figures including Gautam Gambhir, Sunil Gavaskar, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Allu Arjun, and Karan Johar, among others, against unauthorised AI-generated imitations of their identity.
