Delhi High Court orders Meta to remove morphed image of woman with PM Modi

The court issued notices to CJP leaders Saurav Das, Abhijit Dipke, Ashutosh Ranka and Ratna Singh, who were named in the woman's petition.

In Short

• Meta instructed to remove objectionable posts immediately
• Notices issued to CJP leaders to respond within two weeks
• FIR registered; police to file status report in one week

The Delhi High Court on Friday directed police to protect a woman who alleged that Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) leaders circulated a morphed image of her alongside Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a protest. The court also ordered Meta to remove the objectionable posts from its platforms immediately.

The woman told the court that she had received rape threats online and that the images and videos remained accessible despite her complaint to police.

Justice Girish Kathpalia directed the investigating officer to obtain her address privately and pass it to the local station house officer, who was told to ensure her protection. The court said her address must not be made public.

The court issued notices to CJP leaders Saurav Das, Abhijit Dipke, Ashutosh Ranka and Ratna Singh, who were named in the woman’s petition. They have been asked to respond within two weeks.

According to the petition, the woman’s photograph was used without her consent to create an obscene image showing her alongside PM Modi. She alleged that the image was displayed on banners at a CJP protest and that videos of it were posted online. She also claimed morphed images were uploaded to pornographic websites.

Delhi Police told the court that an FIR had been registered on Thursday and that it would act as quickly as possible. The court asked police to file a status report within a week detailing the action taken.

The woman was directed to give investigators the images, videos and relevant links. Police were told to keep the material confidential and send the links to Meta through official channels to facilitate removal. The court also directed its Registry to redact the links from the petition and its annexures.

The court said the woman could pursue a separate claim for compensation. It will hear the matter again in two weeks.

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