A Mumbai court has denied the anticipatory bail application of Abhijit Patil, an Uttarakhand-based man accused of uploading obscene deepfake videos of actor Amitabh Bachchan on social media.
The bail request was rejected by sessions judge V. M. Pathade, although the detailed order is not yet available.
Patil, who operates an Ayurveda medicine firm in Rishikesh, allegedly created and shared the explicit deepfake videos to promote sexual health products. Following a complaint, Patil sought anticipatory bail, claiming the accusations were “baseless, false, and fabricated,” and denied any wrongdoing.
The police opposed his plea, arguing that granting bail would embolden cybercriminals who believe they can escape consequences after stealing celebrity identities to create fake obscene videos. Special Public Prosecutor Iqbal Solkar emphasized that the investigation would be hindered if Patil were granted protection from arrest.
The prosecution argued that the obscene videos have tarnished Bachchan’s global reputation. Consequently, the judge dismissed Patil’s bail plea.
Previously on May 4, Bachchan’s legal team filed a complaint with Mumbai cyber police after discovering several deepfake videos showing the actor using obscene language to promote Patil’s company’s products.
