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Bereddy was detained by the police on the night of June 18. It was alleged that Bereddy had disseminated fake, altered, and misleading information and images to damage Prime Minister Modi's reputation
A Delhi Court, on Wednesday, granted bail to AK Bereddy in the case involving the dissemination of fabricated videos of Prime Minister Modi. Bereddy, a Congress social media coordinator, was previously detained for allegedly sharing manipulated clips that sparked significant political controversy and police investigations. Judge Akanksha Garg dismissed the State's request for three days of police custody for interrogation. “Arrest of the accused is found to be illegal as no proper notice u/s 41A CrPC has been served. Hence, accused is admitted to bail on furnishing personal bonds of Rs. 50,000/- with one surety”, the court stated.
On May 5, Reuters reported that doctored clips featuring two of PM Modi's top aides spurred police investigations and the detention of several Congress party members. Termed India's inaugural AI election, PM Modi declared that artificial voices were falsely attributed to leaders to foment societal discord, describing it as a conspiracy.
Police authorities, already probing fake videos of Bollywood actors criticizing PM Modi, commenced an investigation into a manipulated clip showing Home Minister Amit Shah allegedly stating that the Bharatiya Janata Party would halt certain social benefits for minorities, a topic sensitive to many voters. Shah refuted the video on X, presenting both the original and doctored versions, and accused the opposition Congress party of spreading the misleading video without evidence. Shah announced that police were directed to address the matter.
Police apprehended at least nine individuals, including six Congress social media team members, in Assam, Gujarat, Telangana, and New Delhi for distributing the fake video. Five were granted bail, but Delhi police detained Congress social media coordinator Arun Reddy, placing him in three-day custody, prompting Congress protests and the #ReleaseArunReddy campaign on X.
Another significant fake video depicted Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath criticizing PM Modi for inadequate support to families of victims of a 2019 militant attack. Fact-checkers confirmed the video as an AI-generated deepfake. State police arrested Shyam Gupta on May 2 for sharing the video, which had garnered significant views and likes, accusing him of forgery and promoting enmity under laws carrying potential seven-year imprisonment.
Judge Garg determined that the arrest was illegal due to the absence of proper notice as required under Section 41A of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).
For Accused: Advocates Kamran Khan and Omar Huda For State: Additional Public Prosecutor Bhaskar
Case Title: State v Arun Kumar Bereddy
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