Gurugram: The Punjab and Haryana High Court granted regular bail to Dr Mushtaq Ahmed, alias Taj Mohammad, a 65-year-old traditional bone-setter from Fatehabad, Haryana, arrested for allegedly sharing AI-generated videos on social media that mocked Prime Minister Narendra Modi after India launched Operation Sindoor.
The case, which sparked debates over the use of stringent national security provisions for online content, saw Justice N.S. Shekhawat allow the bail plea, citing Ahmed’s serious health issues and the near-completion of the investigation.
“The petitioner is a senior citizen and deserves sympathetic consideration. Further custody will not serve any useful purpose,” the court observed, granting bail subject to furnishing bail and surety bonds to the satisfaction of the trial court or Duty Magistrate.
He was granted bail on 7 July, 2025.
Ahmed was booked under Sections 152 (acts endangering sovereignty, unity, and integrity of India) and 197(1)(d) (imputations prejudicial to national integration) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), following an FIR registered on 15 May, 2023, at City Police Station, Fatehabad.
The controversy erupted after Ahmed allegedly uploaded three edited videos on his Facebook account on 14 May, days after a ceasefire agreement between India and Pakistan was announced on 10 May.
The videos, which included AI-generated content, depicted Modi “admitting to a mistake” in attacking Pakistan, a mock interaction with PM Shehbaz Sharif and with US President Donald Trump, sparking outrage among local BJP leaders.
The FIR was filed on a complaint by Fatehabad BJP leaders, including district vice-president Jagdish Rai Sharma, mandal president Vikas Sharma, and mandal vice-president Paramjeet Beniwal, who alleged that the videos mocked the Indian Army’s sacrifices and praised Pakistan.
The complaint prompted swift action from the Haryana police, with Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini personally directing strict measures, leading to the addition of Section 152 to the charges. Ahmed was arrested on 17 May, 2025, after his health improved following hospitalisation, and was sent to judicial custody in Hisar jail.
Senior Advocate Bipan Ghai, representing Ahmed, argued before the High Court that the allegations did not constitute offences under Sections 152 and 197(1)(d) of BNS.
Ghai emphasised that Ahmed had not created the videos but merely forwarded them, with no evidence linking him to the alleged crime.
He further highlighted that police verification of Ahmed’s passport confirmed he had not visited Pakistan since 1990, undermining claims of anti-national intent.
Ghai also pointed to the Supreme Court’s interim directions in the S.G. Vombatkere case, which stayed proceedings under the now-suspended sedition law (Section 124-A IPC), arguing that Section 152 BNS, materially similar, is under constitutional challenge.
Additionally, Ahmed’s medical records, showing he required urgent post-operative care after a scheduled bypass surgery on 2 July, were cited as grounds for bail.
The state counsel, represented by Additional Advocate General Rupinder Singh Jhand, opposed the bail plea, arguing that the serious nature of the allegations warranted continued custody.
However, Justice Shekhawat, in his order, noted that Ahmed had been in custody since 17 May, 2025, and that the investigation was nearly complete, with no further material to be recovered.
(Edited by Zinnia Ray Chaudhuri)