'Can lead to social disharmony': Punjab court directs social media platforms to block 'doctored' Atishi video

Jalandhar (Punjab), Jan 15 (PTI) A court here on Thursday ordered immediate blocking and removal of a "doctored" video featuring AAP leader Atishi, which purportedly showed her making controversial remarks on ninth Sikh Guru Tegh Bahadur.

In her order, Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Harpreet Kaur observed, "It is the categorical case of the applicant/prosecution that further circulation of this video can lead to social disharmony and can further aggravate communal tension which could lead to breach of peace and public order." "Therefore, to safeguard public peace and harmony the immediate removal of this video and its copies and further its re-uploading and its derived version is required to be stopped," the court said.

It further said that accordingly, as forensic report establishes that "video with subtitle is 'doctored' and perusal of video clip with the subtitle shows that there is likelihood that material contained in the video clip can incite public disorder, therefore, the application stands allowed".

The Jalandhar police had moved an application for directions for blocking the URLs of the alleged content in question.

The police had last week filed an FIR in connection with uploading and circulating an "edited" and "doctored" video of former Delhi chief minister and AAP MLA Atishi.

The FIR was lodged on the complaint of one Iqbal Singh who had mentioned about circulation of a video content along with "disturbing and ill-intention captions" on the social media platforms X and Meta by some users with specific handles and accounts.

The Jalandhar police maintained that the contents in the video along with subtitles is "doctored" and submitted before the court that the said posts are capable of impairing communal harmony, inciting religious discord, and disturbing public order in Punjab.

The court, invoking Rule 3(d) of the Information Technology Act, 2021, directed Meta platforms (Instagram and Facebook), X, and Telegram to remove the content with respect to the specific URLs.

The alleged offensive material is directed to be removed forthwith and in any event within 24 hours of the receipt of the court order, it said.

The social media platforms are also directed to preserve all the information and associated record relating to the offending material so that the evidence in relation to offending content is not vitiated, the order said.

The court also directed Meta platforms (Instagram and Facebook), YouTube, X, and Telegram to remove and block all identical, mirror or derivative versions of the objectionable content uploaded or circulated as and when the specific account details and URLs are communicated by the cyber crime department.

Atishi's alleged remarks had created a political row, with the BJP alleging that the Leader of Opposition in Delhi Assembly insulted Guru Tegh Bahadur.

However, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann recently alleged that the BJP added a false subtitle to the video clip and inserted the name of Guru Tegh Bahadur into it to target Atishi for the remark she never made.

A spokesperson of Jalandhar police last week said that "investigations have been conducted in a scientific manner and the video clip containing Atishi's audio has been downloaded from a social media platform of Delhi minister Kapil Mishra, and forwarded to the Director, Forensic Science Laboratory in SAS Nagar, Punjab, for forensic examination".

Speaking to reporters in Bathinda on Sunday, CM Mann had said after a report in this regard it emerged that the word "Guru" has not been uttered by Atishi in her audio as contained in the video clips being circulated on social media.

The Punjab Congress on Friday claimed that an FIR has been registered against its MLAs Sukhpal Khaira and Pargat Singh for sharing a video clip of AAP leader Atishi. PTI SUN VSD KVK KVK