Centre Shows Fake Supreme Court X Account in Court
In a striking demonstration before the Karnataka High Court, the central government revealed that it had successfully created a verified X (formerly Twitter) account impersonating the “Supreme Court of Karnataka.” The move was intended to highlight the ease with which social media platforms can be misused, even for impersonating judicial institutions.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the court that the account, although verified, had not been used to post any content. “We created it just to demonstrate how dangerous such impersonations can be. Millions could be misled by a single false post,” he said.
Legal Face-Off with X Corp Continues
The demonstration comes amid a legal battle between the Union government and X Corp over the scope of takedown powers under Indian law. The government argues that Section 79(3)(b) of the IT Act allows it to direct platforms to remove unlawful content, while X maintains that only Section 69A—along with the IT Rules—provides that power.
The court has been hearing X Corp’s challenge to multiple takedown orders issued by the Centre, claiming they were excessive and lacked due process.
Judges React, Raise Deepfake Concerns
Justice M. Nagaprasanna acknowledged the gravity of the issue and accepted the demonstration as a hypothetical warning, not formal evidence. The judge also recalled past incidents where anonymous online abuse had harmed institutions and individuals. He expressed concern that such misuse is becoming easier with emerging AI technologies.
Solicitor General Mehta warned the court about the rapid rise of deepfakes. He noted that the government had created an AI-generated clip mimicking a judge’s voice delivering anti-national statements. Although the video was never circulated, it underscored the severe threat posed by synthetic media. He urged the need for better digital safeguards and preemptive action.
Court Seeks Balance
X Corp’s counsel, KG Raghavan, objected to demonstrations being shown without proper record, but acknowledged the illustrative value. The court indicated it will examine the balance between safeguarding free speech and regulating malicious digital content.
Case to Continue on July 25
The next hearing is scheduled for July 25. The case is expected to set an important precedent on how India handles false information, impersonation, and AI-generated content across social media platforms.
