Policy · Government, Defense & Space

Gujarat high court issues notices to tech giants over deepfakes

By Startup Enthusiast · 15 April 2026

What they do

Social media and content platforms face legal scrutiny over deepfake content

Gujarat high court issued notices to Meta, Google, X, Reddit, Scribd in a PIL seeking deepfake regulation

The court observed the core issue is implementation, not absence of regulation, and ordered SAHYOG portal onboarding

The Gujarat high court issued notices to Meta, Google, X, Reddit, and Scribd in a public interest litigation (PIL) about deepfakes.
A division bench of chief justice Sunita Agarwal and justice DN Ray heard the case.
The PIL seeks a robust regulatory framework to curb the spread of deepfakes (AI-generated fake videos or images).
The PIL warns that AI-generated videos threaten public order and democracy.
The PIL says the IT Act 2000 and BNS provisions are inadequate for AI deepfakes.
The central and Gujarat governments said a legal framework exists but enforcement gaps remain due to delays and non-compliance by intermediaries (platforms).
The court observed the core issue is implementation, not absence of regulation.
The court directed intermediaries to onboard the SAHYOG portal for real-time coordination with law enforcement.

The SAHYOG portal has been operational since October 2024 for coordinated takedown of unlawful content.
The ministry of home affairs said Meta and Google improved compliance, but others lagged.
The centre flagged X: out of 94 intimations (2024-2026), formal responses came in only 13 cases.
In January 2026, MeitY pulled up X over obscene Grok-generated imagery and warned legal action.
The central government amended the IT (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules 2021, effective February 20, 2026, defining 'synthetically generated information' and mandating labelling.

The next hearing is on May 8.
MeitY proposed tightening compliance timelines under Section 87 of the IT Act in March 2026.
The proposed framework: platforms must remove content that may be used to commit unlawful acts within 3 hours of government direction.
MeitY extended the feedback deadline for draft amendments to April 29 from April 12.