The court was hearing a plea filed by a woman against CJP leaders Saurav Das, Abhijit Dipke, Ashutosh Ranka and Ratna Singh for allegedly posting and circulating an alleged deepfake picture of her alongside PM Narendra Modi on social media. (PTI Photo)The Delhi High Court Friday directed police protection for a woman who accused Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) leaders, including Saurav Das and Abhijit Dipke, of circulating alleged obscene morphed pictures of her with the Prime Minister and exposing her to death threats.Justice Girish Kathpalia also directed Meta to “immediately”, in not more than 24 hours, take down the objectionable photos.The court issued directions, noting that it is an “extraordinary” matter since it concerns the PM.“Otherwise I will not interfere in this kind of proceedings because you’ve remedy available in law. But this is an extraordinary petition in which it is not just a matter of one lady but a matter of the prime minister of this country… I believe action will be taken,” Justice Kathpalia remarked, addressing the police.The court issued notice to all respondent parties in the woman’s plea, and sought a status report from the Delhi Police on the progress of the probe within a week.The court was hearing a plea filed by a woman against CJP leaders Saurav Das, Abhijit Dipke, Ashutosh Ranka and Ratna Singh for allegedly posting and circulating an alleged deepfake picture of her alongside PM Narendra Modi on social media.The woman had filed an FIR with the Delhi cyber police station on Thursday. However, according to her plea, the police have not acted on the objectionable content circulating online so far.Story continues below this adTerming such circulation a “coordinated cyber-assault and public character assassination using deepfake technology”, the woman sought that the alleged morphed images be taken down as well as police protection for herself.Seeking the takedown of posts falls under the civil jurisdiction of the court.The woman’s counsel told the court that “although some of the reliefs” should have been sought through a civil writ petition instead of the present criminal writ petition, they may be granted given the “intertwined nature of the factual matrix” and the “utmost urgency” to protect the woman’s modesty and dignity.“Prima facie, I find force in this argument,” the court noted, while recording the Delhi Police’s assurance that action in the case shall be taken as expeditiously as possible.Story continues below this adThe court recorded, “… in order to ensure that she is provided complete police protection, it is directed that today itself she will disclose her exact residential address to SI Anurag present in court, and SI Anurag shall forthwith transmit the address to SHO of the area in which the (woman) resides. SI Anurag shall also transmit a copy of this order to the said SHO who is directed to ensure complete police protection to (the woman) in all possible and practical manner.”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. X (Twitter): @thanda_ghosh ... Read More