Hyderabad Police have registered criminal cases against Arun Srinivas, head of Meta India, along with multiple Facebook and Instagram accounts, over the alleged circulation of morphed and digitally manipulated content targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The cases were filed on 31 July in connection with objectionable posts that surfaced during the Cockroach Janta Party protests against the NEET paper leak.

What the FIR Alleges

The Hyderabad Cybercrime Police registered the cases under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Information Technology Act, acting on complaints filed by two individuals — S. Aravind Reddy, a businessman, and T. Saikiran Goud, a Telangana Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) activist.

The complaints allege that the complainants encountered, while browsing Instagram, several videos and images that had been digitally altered or AI-generated to portray the Prime Minister in what they described as an 'obscene, derogatory and misleading manner.'

What the Complainants Said

According to the complaint text, 'The comments contain offensive language, ridicule, and indecent remarks directed at the Hon'ble Prime Minister and other individuals depicted in the manipulated content, thereby amplifying the offensive nature of the posts and encouraging their wider circulation and engagement. The above content appears to have been digitally altered or AI-generated and circulated on social media.'

The complainants further argued that such content has the potential to mislead the public, spread misinformation, incite hatred or public unrest, outrage public decency, and promote hostility among different sections of society.

Scale of the Complaint

Saikiran Goud submitted a list of 20 Facebook and Instagram links along with his complaint, specifically seeking action against Meta for hosting the content. Police are currently working to collect details of the flagged accounts and identify the individuals operating them.

Meta's Recent History in India

This development comes amid already strained relations between Indian authorities and Meta. The platform recently expressed regret after a video posted from the Prime Minister's official account was briefly and erroneously blocked on Facebook. Critics argue that the latest police action raises questions about the boundaries of platform liability and the use of criminal law to address content moderation disputes. Notably, booking a platform's country head for user-generated content is an uncommon legal step that is likely to draw scrutiny from digital rights advocates.

What Happens Next

Investigators are in the process of identifying account operators behind the flagged posts. Legal experts note that pursuing a case against a platform executive for third-party content faces significant hurdles under existing intermediary liability frameworks. The outcome of this case could set a precedent for how Indian law enforcement engages with global social media companies over politically sensitive content.