Delhi HC Orders Take Down of AI-Generated Deepfake Video Against Udaipur's Taj Lake Palace

The Delhi High Court has ordered the removal of an AI-generated video that claimed staff at Udaipur’s Taj Lake Palace poisoned wealthy guests for six months. The Court found the content to be false and misleading, and said its continued circulation would cause irreparable harm to the hotel’s reputation.

Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora passed the order while hearing a suit filed by the Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL), a Tata Group company that owns and operates the Taj group of hotels. The Court directed Meta Platforms Inc., which runs Instagram, to take down the video within 36 hours and to share details of the account operator with the plaintiff within three weeks.

The video had been posted on an Instagram page named Travelagio and had garnered over 20,000 views, 134 likes and more than 300 shares. The Court noted that the clip contained fictitious and disparaging claims accusing the hotel’s staff of murdering tourists through poisoning and covering up the incident.

“This Court finds merit in the submission of the Plaintiff that circulation of such a false video directly infringes upon the Plaintiff’s reputation and grossly misrepresents the Plaintiff’s property Taj Lake Palace, Udaipur, before the public,” Justice Arora observed.

The Court restrained the unknown creator of the videoreferred to as John Doe, and anyone acting on its behalf from publishing, broadcasting or disseminating the impugned video or any other content targeting the Taj brand. Meta has also been asked to remove any re-uploads or reposts of the video on its platforms.

It recorded that IHCL discovered the video on October 11 and immediately reported it on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal and to Instagram. However, the platform failed to remove the video, prompting the company to seek urgent relief from the Court.

The Court was told that the video was AI-generated using text-to-speech tools and fabricated visuals to create a false story. The Plaintiff argued that the clip was posted to attract views and followers by exploiting the Taj brand’s global reputation.

In its pleadings, IHCL said it is India’s oldest and largest hospitality group and that its TAJ trademark is well-known and unmistakably associated with the company. The Court noted that the brand, which began with the Taj Mahal Palace in Mumbai in 1903, now operates more than 137 hotels worldwide.

The Court also recorded that Taj Lake Palace in Udaipur and Taj Falaknuma Palace in Hyderabad were recently awarded three Michelin Keys in the Global Michelin Keys Selection announced on October 8, 2025, a distinction reserved for the world’s most remarkable hotels.

Finding that the video caused serious reputational damage, the Court held that IHCL had established a prima facie case and that the balance of convenience lay in its favour. “The circulation of such a fabricated video would result in irreparable loss and injury to the Plaintiff,” the Court said while granting an interim injunction.

The court has directed Meta to file a compliance report after removing the video and to furnish the account details to the Plaintiff.

The matter will be taken up next on March 23, 2026.

For Plaintiff: Ms. Shwetasree Majumder, Mr. Prithvi Singh, Mr. Rohan Krishna Seth, Mr. Prithvi Gulati, Mr. Ritwik

Marwaha, Advs.

For Defendants: Mr. Varun Pathak, Ms. Sana Banyal, Ms. Nivedita Sudheer, Advs. for D-2

Case title: The Indian Hotels Company Limited v. John Doe & Anr.

Bench: Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora

Order Date: 15 October 2025