Ahmedabad Court Orders Congress To Take Down Alleged Modi–Adani Deepfake Video

An Ahmedabad court in Gujarat has issued directions to the Congress party and four of its leaders to remove a disputed deepfake video portraying Prime Minister Narendra Modi and industrialist Gautam Adani from social media.

Presiding over the matter, Additional Civil Judge Shrikant Sharma passed the order while hearing a civil defamation suit filed by Adani Enterprises Limited against the party and its leaders Jairam Ramesh, Supriya Shrinate, Pawan Khera, and Uday Bhanu Chib.

Circulated on the Congress party’s official X handle on December 17, the video allegedly showed a fabricated conversation between PM Modi and Gautam Adani with a politically charged caption suggesting collusion.

Accordingly, the court directed the defendants to remove the video within 48 hours from the date of the order and restrained them from reposting it until the next hearing scheduled for December 29.

Intermediaries Directed to Act if Non-Compliance Continues

Should the defendants fail to comply, the court instructed intermediaries X Corp and Google, who are also respondents in the case, to take down the content within 72 hours.

“In the event of non-compliance by the defendants, liberty is granted to the plaintiff to approach the concerned intermediary in accordance with the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules 2021 for appropriate takedown action,” stated the order.

Additionally, the order clarified that the plaintiff may approach the concerned intermediaries under the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, for further action if necessary.

Through its plea, Adani Enterprises stated that Congress and its leaders circulated defamatory material using a deepfake video across multiple digital platforms.

According to the company, the content falsely alleged criminal activity, corruption, land grabbing, and misuse of political influence, claims that it described as entirely fabricated and malicious.

Observing the material on record, the court noted that the video contained prima facie defamatory statements capable of damaging the plaintiff’s standing in society.

Highlighting the group’s nationwide presence and diversified business interests, the court said such content could seriously erode public trust and goodwill built over decades.

Considering the rapid spread of content on social media, the court emphasised that reputational harm is often irreversible once caused.

Consequently, the court granted an ad-interim injunction, stating that the plaintiff would suffer greater hardship if the content continued to circulate, and listed the matter for further hearing on December 29.

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