Delhi High Court Orders Meta To Remove AI Videos Targeting Saleem Iqbal Shervani

The Delhi High Court has directed Meta to remove two allegedly AI-generated videos targeting former Union Minister and five-time Lok Sabha MP Saleem Iqbal Shervani from its Facebook and Instagram platforms within 36 hours.

Passing an interim order on Tuesday, Justice Tushar Rao Gedela also restrained the creators and republishers of the videos from publishing or republishing the content until further orders.

The court further allowed Shervani to approach Meta if any individual or entity uploads the videos again.

According to the suit, Shervani alleged that the videos, uploaded on July 13 by a self-described journalist operating the ‘Jan Chaupal Post’ social media accounts, were entirely generated using artificial intelligence and falsely linked him to deceased gangster Atiq Ahmed.

The plea stated that the fabricated videos used AI to generate Shervani’s face, voice, dialogues and scenes, portraying him as a factory owner who allegedly sought Atiq Ahmed’s help to suppress a workers’ strike and later assisted him in expanding his criminal influence in Allahabad, now Prayagraj.

Shervani maintained that none of the events depicted in the videos had ever occurred and asserted that he had never had any association with Atiq Ahmed or any criminal during his more than four decades of public life.

The suit also alleged that the videos attempted to inflame communal sentiments through fictional characters and staged violence.

The plea sought disclosure of the basic subscriber information of those responsible for publishing and republishing the videos, an unconditional public apology and Rs 2.01 crore in damages.

The plaintiff named Meta, the alleged creator, the alleged republisher and several unidentified entities as defendants in the case.

Also Read: Explained: Why Court Cases In India Still Take Decades Despite Rs 9,800 Crore Investment