A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has been filed before the Supreme Court of India by Aarati Sah under Article 32 of the Constitution, urging the Court to direct the Union of India to establish a national regulatory and licensing framework for Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies, particularly those capable of generating synthetic images, videos, and audio impersonations commonly known as deepfakes.

The petition, filed through Advocate-on-Record Anilendra Pandey, highlights the alarming rise in AI-generated impersonations of public figures, celebrities, and journalists, which infringe the rights to privacy, dignity, and reputation guaranteed under Article 21. It argues that the absence of a centralized regulatory mechanism has resulted in fragmented judicial responses, leaving citizens exposed to exploitation, misinformation, and reputational harm.

Citing recent cases before the Delhi and Bombay High Courts, where interim relief was granted to public figures such as Akshay Kumar, Karan Johar, and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, the petitioner emphasizes the urgency for a uniform framework to prevent misuse of synthetic media. The petition also draws attention to international regulatory models including those of the European Union, United States, China, and Singapore which impose risk-based AI governance, content labelling, and accountability standards.

The PIL names the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITy) and the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) as respondents, along with Meta Platforms Inc. and Google LLC, seeking directives to enforce due diligence, prompt takedown of deepfake content, and transparent grievance redressal mechanisms on their platforms.

Asserting that unregulated AI use poses a grave threat to democracy, digital trust, and social harmony, the petition urges the apex court to direct the constitution of an expert committee comprising jurists, technologists, and civil society members to recommend ethical AI standards and to ensure that technological innovation evolves within the constitutional framework of dignity, liberty, and equality.