Delhi High Court Orders Removal of AI-Generated Defamatory Video Targeting Taj Lake Palace
The Delhi High Court has directed Meta Platforms, the parent company of Instagram, to take down an artificial intelligence (AI)-generated video that circulated false and defamatory allegations against the Taj Lake Palace, Udaipur.
The matter arose from a video posted by an unidentified user on the Instagram account “Travelagio”, which falsely claimed that the staff of the Taj Lake Palace had poisoned wealthy guests in 2018 and that the incident had been covered up.
The Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL) — a Tata Group enterprise and owner of the Taj Hotels chain — approached the Court seeking an injunction to restrain the dissemination of the video. IHCL submitted that the content was entirely AI-generated, had been widely circulated, and garnered over 20,000 views on Instagram. It contended that the video contained fabricated and misleading information, aimed at damaging the hotel’s reputation and eroding public confidence.
Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora observed that the impugned video was false and prima facie defamatory, noting that the circulation of such fabricated content directly infringes upon IHCL’s reputation and grossly misrepresents its property, Taj Lake Palace, Udaipur, before the public.
The Court further held that the continued dissemination of morphed and fictitious material would cause irreparable harm to the plaintiff’s goodwill and brand equity.
Appearing for IHCL, Ms. Shwetasree Majumdar, Advocate, submitted that the Taj brand, established in 1903 with the opening of the Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai, enjoys global recognition and heritage value. She noted that both Taj Lake Palace and Taj Falaknuma Palace were recently awarded three Michelin Keys for their excellence. The impugned video, she argued, not only disparaged the Taj trademarks but also misled the public and exploited the brand’s reputation to generate social media traction.
The Court also noted that the defendant had employed AI tools and text-to-speech technology to conceal their identity and create a deceptive narrative.
In its interim order, the Court restrained the defendant from broadcasting, posting, or sharing the impugned video or any similar material that disparages the Taj Hotels brand or infringes its trademarks. Meta Platforms was directed to remove the video within thirty-six hours, disclose the Basic Subscriber Information (BSI) of the user to IHCL to facilitate the issuance of summons, and take appropriate steps to prevent re-uploading of the same or similar content.
Mr. Rajendra Mishra, Executive Vice President & General Counsel at
IHCL is part of FICL's National Advisory Council.
