Supreme Court tells Ajit Pawar camp to stop using Sharad photos

Justice Kant made the remarks as Senior Advocate A M Singhvi contended that NCP (Ajit Pawar) candidate Amol Mitkari had put out photos displaying Sharad Pawar, while Balbir Singh rejected the charge.

Singhvi told the bench, also comprising Justice Ujjal Bhuyan, that the Ajit Pawar camp was trying to piggyback on Sharad Pawar’s goodwill. The attempt, he claimed, was to mislead people into believing that there was still a linkage between the two Pawars.

Singh refuted the claims and said the materials produced by the other side were doctored. He submitted that artificial intelligence could be employed to create deep fakes. Justice Kant asked the two sides to concentrate on the battlefield instead of fighting it out in courts. “People will answer everything. They are very wise and know where to vote and how to vote. We don’t doubt their wisdom. They know who is Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar,” added Justice Kant. On the alleged materials produced before it, the bench reminded that its orders should be respected.

The court had on November 6 asked the Ajit Pawar faction to issue a disclaimer over the NCP’s ‘clock’ election symbol that its allocation is subjudice.