The Delhi High Court has ordered Instagram to remove an AI-generated video that falsely accused staff at Udaipur’s iconic Taj Lake Palace of murdering tourists in 2018 — a claim the court called “prima facie false and damaging.”
The video, posted by an unidentified user under the handle Travelagio, used artificial intelligence to weave a sinister tale — alleging that guests were poisoned by hotel staff and the incident buried in silence. The Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL), which owns the Taj brand under the TATA Group, approached the court after the video racked up over 20,000 views, spreading what it described as “entirely fabricated and defamatory” content.
Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora observed that the clip’s continued circulation could cause “irreparable harm” to the Taj’s reputation and ordered Meta, which owns Instagram, to delete the video within 36 hours. The court further barred the anonymous creator from posting or sharing any similar material that maligns the Taj brand or misuses its trademarks.
Meta has also been instructed to share the Basic Subscriber Information of the account holder to help identify the uploader, who will now face summons.
The next hearing in the case is slated for March 23, 2026.
