Delhi High Court Seeks Centre’s Plan To Tackle Concerns Over DeepSeek AI
Delhi HC questions Centre on steps to address DeepSeek’s AI misuse
The Delhi High Court on Wednesday asked the Central Government to clarify how it plans to address the concerns over misuse of the Chinese-owned artificial intelligence chatbot DeepSeek.
A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela posed the query while hearing a petition filed by advocate Bhavna Sharma, who contended that such AI platforms pose significant risks to individual privacy and could be detrimental to India’s sovereignty and security.
“There is no doubt that this is an issue that needs to be addressed at the initial stage. How is the Ministry going to tackle this?” the Court remarked while asking Central Government Standing Counsel (CGSC) Ishkaran Bhandari to seek instructions from the concerned ministry.
The judges observed that the issue required early and effective attention and emphasised that the government should be prepared with a clear response on the steps being taken to address the concerns.
Accordingly, the Bench granted Bhandari time to obtain instructions and noted that the case would be heard along with other petitions concerning similar issues related to artificial intelligence.
Earlier, in February 2025, the same Bench had issued notice on a public interest litigation seeking restrictions on access to DeepSeek. The Court had then observed that artificial intelligence could be a dangerous tool in anyone’s hands, whether that of the American or Chinese government.
The plea highlighted concerns over data security and privacy, stating that within a month of DeepSeek’s launch, several vulnerabilities were identified, leading to the leak of more than one million pieces of sensitive personal data online. The petition sought directions for the government to frame guidelines to block or regulate access to such AI tools.
Case Title: Bhavna Sharma v Union of India & Ors
Bench: Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela
Hearing Date: 29 October 2025