The Delhi High Court has ordered the removal of several online materials allegedly using the identity of Drishti IAS founder Vikas Divyakirti without authorisation, including fake social media profiles, deepfake videos and certain unauthorised recordings of his lectures.
Justice AJ Bhambhani passed the directions while hearing a plea filed by Divyakirti seeking protection against alleged misuse of his name, image and identity on digital platforms. The court was also informed about the circulation of clips from Divyakirti’s lectures. A significant part of the hearing concerned the growing use of digital tools capable of creating manipulated content. Justice Bhambhani raised concerns about such tools being available without effective mechanisms to identify the persons using them. The issue arose during submissions by Meta’s counsel, Advocate Varun Pathak. The counsel referred to the licensing and permission requirements that apply to certain activities in the physical world. The judge drew a comparison with the process involved in obtaining a firearm licence. The court observed that digital tools capable of producing powerful content can be made available to users who may not be identifiable, raising concerns about their possible misuse. The court’s directions cover fake profiles and channels on platforms such as YouTube and Instagram using Divyakirti’s name and photograph, along with deepfake material and other content identified in the plea.
Some of the videos were edited and presented with captions or in a manner that allegedly gave a different impression from the original lectures, according to his counsel. Divyakirti’s counsel placed the disputed material before the court in separate categories and sought directions where, according to her, there was no competing right involved.
