Patna High Court directs Congress to take off AI-generated video of PM Modi, his late mother

The Patna High Court on Wednesday directed the Congress to take off an AI-generated video depicting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his late mother from its social media handles.

Acting Chief Justice P B Baijanthri passed the order on a petition filed by Vivekanand Singh. In the petition, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, the Union government and the Election Commission were also named as respondents.

"The court, while ordering immediate withdrawal of the video, has also issued notices to Gandhi, Facebook, Twitter and Google," EC's counsel Siddharth Prasad told PTI.

Additional Solicitor General of India K N Singh, who appeared for the Union government, also told PTI "the court has made it clear that the video shall remain withdrawn till the next date of hearing".

A political firestorm has erupted in Bihar after the Congress unit released an AI-generated video depicting a dreamlike exchange purportedly between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his late mother, Heeraben Modi.

BJP leaders, including Pradeep Bhandari, accused the Congress of orchestrating the video under Rahul Gandhi's directive, labelling it a deliberate insult to the nation’s mothers and sisters. They had demanded action from the Election Commission.

The high court is likely to mention the next date in the order sheet, which would be uploaded on its website.

In a move seeking to target the prime minister, the Bihar Congress had last week posted the video on its X handle, with a prompt in Hindi, "Sahab ke sapno mein aayi maa. Dekhiye rochak samvaad. (Mother came in sahab's dream. Watch an interesting interaction between them.)

The video portrayed Modi's mother criticising him for his politics.

The Congress faced backlash from the BJP and its allies over the video, while protests ensued across the country.

The Congress maintained that no disrespect was shown to the PM or his mother.

"What is their objection? Just because a mother is trying to educate the son to do something right. Where is it disrespectful, neither to the mother, whom we respect dearly, nor to the son," Congress' media and publicity department head Pawan Khera had said.

"Where is the disrespect? We have shown no disrespect to his late mother,' he further stated.

with PTI inputs