New Delhi, Sep 27 — Nothing can be scarier than finding your picture morphed by AI tools in a highly objectionable manner with the Prime Minister of a country and being displayed by those who aspire to be the future leaders, running a mission to shake the system and remove the ruling party.
For the young woman who petitioned the Delhi High Court, alleging that Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) leaders have wronged her, it must have been an extremely terrifying period. In her petition, she has accused CJP leaders Saurav Das, Abhijit Dipke, Ashutosh Ranka, and Ratna Singh of posting and circulating a purported deepfake picture of her alongside Prime Minister Narendra Modi on social media, following which she allegedly received threats.
The High Court has taken cognisance of the matter and issued notices to the CJP leaders. It has also directed Meta Platforms to remove the objectionable content within 24 hours and ordered police protection for the woman.
The court will take the matter forward in due course, but the larger question is how anyone can adopt such a cheap trick to run down an opponent. It cannot be denied that the picture, as alleged, was morphed and circulated on various social media platforms.
The woman, in her petition, alleged that the CJP leaders and their accomplices had "unauthorisedly obtained" her photograph during a CJP protest at Jantar Mantar and used AI tools to morph it into a “highly vulgar, compromising image” alongside the PM.
Not only were the pictures allegedly made viral on social media, but the woman has also alleged that the morphed images were displayed on physical banners during the demonstration. She has said that obscene and derogatory slogans were raised, and videos were uploaded on social media platforms. “The perpetrators printed physical banners of this morphed picture, paraded them in massive crowds, raised sexually suggestive and derogatory slogans, and maliciously uploaded videos onto Instagram and other social media platforms,” the plea said.
It is even more shocking as she has alleged in her petition that the morphed “non-consensual explicit photos” were uploaded and distributed on various pornographic websites. This indeed exposes the absolute depravity of whoever allowed it and whoever actually carried it out.
Although she has directly named the CJP leaders, their side of the story will become clear once they reply to the notices.
They may deny any wrongdoing, but the fact remains that there is a woman whose pictures have allegedly been gravely misused in the most objectionable manner, and that too alongside the PM of the country. There indeed cannot be anything scarier than this.
The woman has alleged that this happened during the July CJP protest at Jantar Mantar, which was led by Dipke and co-convenor Das, with activist Sonam Wangchuk playing a prominent role. The CJP spearheaded a 36-day agitation at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi protesting alleged irregularities in the 2026 NEET examination. The protest ended with the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. There was nothing wrong with raising concerns over examination irregularities. But the protest was also marked by open displays of vulgarity, foul language and some obscene moments.
What the woman has alleged in her plea before the High Court exposes another disturbing aspect of the protest. And in the process, it has also unveiled an extremely alarming use of AI in a bid to demonise the other side.
The CJP, said to be an offshoot of Arvind Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), claiming to be a youth-led pressure group, has more than once hinted at its political agenda. It has made it known that it wants to challenge and remove the ruling party. But does that involve running such a slanderous campaign by using a woman to tarnish an opponent? This is where questions arise over the real intentions of the group and its leaders.
It is vital to act as a responsible opposition force, whose main job is to alert the people and hold the ruling party accountable. But it is extremely distressing and alarming when political leaders or activists are accused of stooping so low.
In this age, when Gen Z has a lot more to say, and social media has an enormous reach, such AI-manipulated acts create serious doubts over the way politics is being conducted. It is normal to criticise in a democracy. But it is not normal to carry out a coordinated cyber-assault and public character assassination using deepfake technology.
The CJP, backed by AAP and other opposition parties, has a lot to answer for such activities. The woman has sought the court’s intervention, which has already resulted in directions to the Delhi Police and Meta.
The case points to a larger issue as well. In this AI age, how far can political parties and groups go to vilify each other?
On September 10, 2025, the Bihar Congress unit shared an AI-generated video featuring PM Modi and his late mother on X. After a legal challenge, the Patna High Court directed that the video be removed from social media platforms.
When the intention is to oppose at any cost, does it mean acting in a manner that can be detrimental to the personal reputation and dignity of anyone?
In the case of the woman who has approached the Delhi High Court against the CJP leaders, her character has allegedly been attacked in the most humiliating manner. The trauma of such an incident may stay with her for a long time.
As the use of social media grows for political purposes, is there a need to draw a line? And has the time come to draw it?
Maybe the Delhi High Court’s intervention could well be a starting point.
(Deepika Bhan can be contacted at deepika.b@ians.in)