A Delhi court has granted regular bail to a man accused of sharing an AI-morphed image of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on social media. The court also ordered a preliminary inquiry into an alleged forged document related to his arrest. The accused, Mujahid Jamal Shaikh, faced charges under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Information Technology Act for reposting the morphed image on his social media account.
The complaint was filed by SI Ankur Tomar on February 18, alleging that the accused shared an AI-generated image showing the Prime Minister bowing before actor Shah Rukh Khan. The accused cooperated with the investigation after his mobile phone was seized on March 12 and was subsequently arrested on March 18 by the Special Cell police station. The defense argued that the accused, a law-abiding citizen and sole provider for his family, did not intend to promote enmity through the post.
After considering both sides, the court noted that the allegations were based on a single social media post and that no evidence of tampering was found during the investigation. The court granted bail to the accused, emphasizing that there was no risk of him fleeing or interfering with evidence. Additionally, the court directed a preliminary inquiry into the authenticity of a document related to the arrest and imposed conditions on the accused, including not reactivating his social media account without court permission.
