Big B deepfake case: Court denies anticipatory bail to accused
The Mumbai sessions court has rejected the anticipatory bail plea of Abhijeet Balaji Patil, who is accused of allegedly creating and uploading deepfake videos of actor Amitabh Bachchan on Instagram. These videos are alleged to contain vulgar and objectionable dialogues. Additional sessions judge Abhay Joglekar dismissed Patil's pre-arrest bail plea, citing the seriousness of the offense and noting that Patil's interim protection had been previously rejected.
Accused faces multiple charges under Indian Penal Code
Following a complaint lodged by Tarini Kulkarni, an employee of law firm Anand & Naik, which represents Bachchan, the West zone cyber police charged Patil. The complaint was filed in early May. Patil is charged under Sections 419, 420, 465, 468, 471 and 500 of the Indian Penal Code for offenses including cheating, forgery, and criminal defamation. He also faces charges under Sections 66(C), 66(D), and 67 of the Information Technology Act, of 2000.
Accused allegedly shared deepfake videos from business account
The cyber police claim that Patil used an Instagram account associated with his Ayurveda firm to distribute the deepfake videos. The police had earlier requested the court to reject Patil's anticipatory bail plea, arguing that he shared these videos online with the intention of "inciting the audience's emotions, which could harm the public and Bachchan." The law firm representing Bachchan also requested the court to reject Patil's bail plea due to the gravity of the offense.
Defense alleges false accusations and hacking incident
Patil's defense, led by advocate Abhijit Desai, maintains that the accusations against him are unfounded and fabricated. Desai stated that Patil's Instagram account was hacked around March or April of this year. The defense also asserted that there is no evidence to substantiate Patil's involvement in the crime and added that the confiscation of his mobile phone has resulted in significant business losses for him.
Defense advocates for application of Information Technology Act
Patil's defense contends that the sections of the IPC should not apply to this case. Instead, they propose that Patil should only be charged under relevant sections of the Information Technology Act, which are bailable. Patil is reportedly the founder of a startup called Himabhi Ayurveda, which has been awarded a Udyog certificate from India's Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises.
What does deepfake mean?
Deepfakes are a form of manipulation that leverage AI to generate fake content. They convincingly make it seem as though real people are involved when, in reality, the content is entirely fabricated. Deepfake technology can create phony pictures, altered videos, or even imitate voices of public figures. It's often used to replace one person's face with another's in existing media or to create entirely made-up content. Rashmika Mandanna and Ranveer Singh, among others, have been its victims previously.
