Jalandhar court orders takedown of Atishi video, flags threat to communal harmony

The court has instructed Meta, X, and Telegram to take down the Atishi clip without delay and submit a compliance report within 10 days.

How can someone be the deputy leader [of the AAP] in the Upper House if they’re not willing to take on the BJP, asks Atishi. (File Photo)

By: Express News Service

3 min readJalandharJan 15, 2026 05:36 PM IST First published on: Jan 15, 2026 at 05:35 PM IST

A Jalandhar court on Thursday directed the immediate removal and blocking of an allegedly manipulated video involving former Delhi chief minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Atishi, observing that its circulation posed a serious risk to public order and religious harmony in Punjab.

The video clip from Delhi Assembly proceedings, which had gone viral on social media, allegedly showed Atishi making objectionable remarks about the ninth Sikh Guru, Guru Tegh Bahadur. However, following a technical and forensic examination, the court of the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (ACJM), Jalandhar, held that the clip was doctored and deliberately altered to give a misleading impression and provoke communal tension.

The order was passed on an application filed by the Jalandhar cybercrime police. Citing Rule 3(d) of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, the court instructed social media platforms Meta (Facebook and Instagram), X, and Telegram to take down the content linked to specific URLs without delay.

“The allegedly offensive material is directed to be removed forthwith and in any case within 24 hours of receipt of this order,” the court said. It further directed that all identical, mirror, or derivative versions of the video be blocked as and when detected by the state cybercrime department. The platforms have been asked to submit a compliance report within 10 days.

During the hearing, the police informed the court that a detailed technical investigation had disproved the authenticity of the viral clip. Initially, social media experts used the AI-based tool Gemini to detect signs of digital manipulation. Subsequently, the video was examined by the state Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) in Mohali.

According to the FSL report, which involved auditory and spectrographic analysis, Atishi never uttered the word “Guru” in the original speech. Investigators found that captions and edits were intentionally inserted to falsely attribute certain words to her, thereby distorting the context of her remarks made during a discussion in the Delhi Assembly.

The case originated from an FIR registered on January 7 on the complaint of Iqbal Singh Bagga, a local AAP leader from Jalandhar. Bagga alleged that the edited video was circulated with malicious intent on social media platforms by Delhi minister Kapil Mishra, Congress leaders Sukhpal Singh Khaira and Pargat Singh, and Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal.

The police have registered a case under sections 196(1) (promoting enmity between groups on religious grounds) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, and 353 (public mischief) and 66(c) of the Information Technology Act, which deals with identity theft and misuse of computer resources.

The controversy sparked strong reactions from various quarters, including the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee.

The investigation is ongoing, and authorities maintain that further action will be taken based on digital evidence and the role of individuals involved in circulating the altered content.