Jalandhar court directs social media platforms to block ‘doctored’ Atishi video

A court ordered immediate removal and blocking of a video, featuring Atishi, ruling its circulation “threatened public order” and “religious harmony” in Punjab.

A court in Jalandhar on Thursday ordered the immediate removal and blocking of a video it declared “doctored,” featuring Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and former Delhi chief minister Atishi, ruling its circulation “threatened public order” and “religious harmony” in Punjab.

The court has sought a compliance report on the removal order within 10 days.

A court in Jalandhar on Thursday ordered the immediate removal and blocking of a video it declared “doctored,” featuring Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and former Delhi chief minister Atishi, ruling its circulation “threatened public order” and “religious harmony” in Punjab.

Acting on an application by the state’s cyber-crime police, the court of the additional chief judicial magistrate invoked Rule 3(d) of the Information Technology Rules, 2021, to direct social media platforms – including Meta (Facebook and Instagram), X, and Telegram – to take down the content within 24 hours. The order also mandates the blocking of any identical or derivative versions of the video as and when identified by the state’s cyber-crime department.

The court has sought a compliance report on the removal order within 10 days.

The police submission detailed the forensic analysis that “debunked” the clip, which purports to show Atishi making remarks about Guru Tegh Bahadur. An initial analysis using AI tools indicated digital alterations, which was later confirmed by a comprehensive audit at the state forensic science laboratory in Mohali, according to the police’s submission to court.

“The FSL report, based on auditory and spectrographic examination, concluded that the word ‘guru’ was never uttered by Atishi in the video. The captions were deliberately added to attribute words to her that she never spoke,” police informed the court.

“Further circulation of this video can lead to social disharmony and can further aggravate communal tension which could lead to breach of peace and public order, Therefore, to safeguard public peace and harmony the immediate removal of this video and its copies and further its re-uploading and its derived version is required to be stopped,” the court observed.

An FIR in the matter was registered on January 7 based on a complaint by a local AAP leader, alleging the edited video was “maliciously circulated” by political figures, including a Delhi Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) minister and several Punjab legislators from the Congress and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), to create a political uproar.

Details of the row

The case was registered under Sections 196(1) (promoting enmity) and 353 (public mischief) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with Section 66(c) of the Information Technology Act.

The police action in Jalandhar, meanwhile, has drawn the criticism of Delhi Assembly. The Assembly secretariat has accused the Punjab Police of a breach of legislative privilege, arguing the video is official property of the House. Delhi Assembly Speaker Vijender Gupta has called the move a “politically motivated attempt at delaying the [House’s own] investigation” in the matter and has demanded a response from the state police by January 15.