Supreme Court halts Gujarat HC proceedings on deepfake regulation PIL

The Supreme Court has issued a stay on proceedings before the Gujarat High Court concerning a public interest litigation that seeks government regulation of deepfakes created using artificial intelligence technology.

The stay was granted while the Supreme Court examines a petition filed by the Centre requesting the transfer of the case from the Gujarat High Court to the top court. The move suggests the apex court may view the matter as having implications beyond the jurisdiction of a single high court.

The PIL before the Gujarat High Court had sought comprehensive regulatory measures to address the growing menace of AI-generated deepfakes, which have emerged as a significant concern for policymakers and law enforcement agencies across India. The technology enables the creation of synthetic videos and audio recordings that can convincingly depict individuals saying or doing things they never actually did.

The Supreme Court's intervention indicates the judiciary's recognition of the need for clarity on how such cases should be handled at the national level. The stay prevents the Gujarat High Court from proceeding further until the Supreme Court determines whether the matter should be addressed at the apex court itself, where precedent-setting judgments could apply uniformly across the country.