A sub-committee of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITy), which is examining the issue of deepfakes, needs three more months to complete its consultation and submit its report, the Union government told Delhi High Court on Monday.
Meanwhile, the Delhi HC directed MEITy to also consider suggestions by creative professionals and artists, as well as by the self-regulatory body of the advertising industry Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) while deliberating over rules and regulations pertaining to deepfakes.
MEITy, in November 2024, was given three months for its deepfake sub-committee to submit its report.
The direction by the division bench of Chief Justice DK Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela came in a public interest litigation seeking that deepfake usage be stopped in commercial advertising and for non-consensual commercial purposes, without compensating the original artists fairly.
The PIL, filed in November 2024 by a professional model Kanchan Nagar, represented by advocate Mumtaz Bhalla, representing the interest of artistes and opposing the use of unregulated deepfake for commercial purposes.
At least three petitions are pending before the Delhi HC seeking regulation of deepfakes.
MEITY, in November 2024, had informed Delhi HC that an Advisory Group on ‘AI for India Specific Regulatory AI Framework’ was formed in September 2023, for India specific regulator AI framework. MEITY had informed the court that the Advisory Group had submitted its report and it is under examination.
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Additionally, MEITY had constituted a sub-committee for AI governance guidelines development in November 2023, which too has submitted its report, and the report is currently under examination.
MEITY also constituted another committee for matters related to the issue of Deepfakes on November 20, 2024.
In an order on November 21, 2024, the HC had directed MEITY that its committee examining the issue of deepfakes “to invite and hear the experiences and suggestions of a few of the stakeholders like the intermediary platforms, telecommunication service providers, victims of deepfakes and websites which provide and deploy deepfakes before submitting its report,” while granting it three months’ time to submit such a report.
On Monday MEITY sought another three months’ time for preparation of the report, with its counsel submitting before the court that the committee is yet to hear victims of deepfakes and other stakeholders.
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Granting MEITY time as requested, the bench recorded that “by the next date we expect the sub committee shall complete deliberations and submit the report.”
The court also directed the sub-committee to consider the suggestions made by the petitioners — a collective of artistes — as well as the ASCI, a self regulatory body regulating the advertisers.
The court will consider the matter next on July 10.
Sohini Ghosh is a Senior Correspondent at The Indian Express. Previously based in Ahmedabad covering Gujarat, she recently moved to the New Delhi bureau, where she primarily covers legal developments at the Delhi High Court
Professional Profile
Background: An alumna of the Asian College of Journalism (ACJ), she previously worked with ET NOW before joining The Indian Express.
Core Beats: Her reporting is currently centered on the Delhi High Court, with a focus on high-profile constitutional disputes, disputes over intellectual property, criminal and civil cases, issues of human rights and regulatory law (especially in the areas of technology and healthcare).
Earlier Specialty: In Gujarat, she was known for her rigorous coverage in the beats of crime, law and policy, and social justice issues, including the 2002 riot cases, 2008 serial bomb blast case, 2016 flogging of Dalits in Una, among others.
She has extensively covered health in the state, including being part of the team that revealed the segregation of wards at the state’s largest government hospital on lines of faith in April 2020.
With Ahmedabad being a UNESCO heritage city, she has widely covered urban development and heritage issues, including the redevelopment of the Sabarmati Ashram
Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025)
Her recent reporting from the Delhi High Court covers major political, constitutional, corporate, and public-interest legal battles:
High-Profile Case Coverage
She has extensively covered the various legal battles - including for compensation under the aegis of North East Delhi Riots Claims Commission - pertaining to the 2020 northeast Delhi riots, as well as 1984 anti-Sikh riots.
She has also led coverage at the intersection of technology and governance, and its impact on the citizenry, from, and beyond courtrooms — such as the government’s stakeholder consultations for framing AI-Deepfake policy.
Signature Style
Sohini is recognized for her sustained reporting from courtrooms and beyond. She specialises in breaking down dense legal arguments to make legalese accessible for readers. Her transition from Gujarat to Delhi has seen her expand her coverage on regulatory, corporate and intellectual property law, while maintaining a strong commitment to human rights and lacuna in the criminal justice system.
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