New Delhi: Senior advocate Prashant Bhushan has landed in trouble for allegedly sharing an edited video of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on social media. The Special Cell of Delhi Police has registered an FIR against him. Police allege that anti-India, misleading, defamatory and provocative material was circulated through the video, raising the possibility of rumours spreading and public order being affected.
According to police, the matter came to light during cyber patrolling on November 3. The social media handle @thequotesnews had claimed that a purported doctored video of the Russian foreign minister had been shared from Prashant Bhushan’s X account. Police then began an investigation and registered FIR number 263/26.
In the disputed video, Lavrov was allegedly shown saying that India is only a trading partner of Russia and has no right to advise Russia on its foreign policy. While sharing the video, Prashant Bhushan had commented on External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar’s diplomacy related to Russia.
However, the fact-check unit of the Ministry of External Affairs described the video as fake on November 3. Issuing a warning on social media, the ministry said the remarks being circulated in the name of the Russian foreign minister were not genuine. The Russian side has also described the video as incorrect.
Delhi Police have registered the case under Sections 336(4), 353(1)(c), 356 and 340(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Section 66C of the Information Technology Act. Police are now investigating the source of the video, the alleged tampering with it and its spread on social media.
At present, the matter is at the investigation stage. Registration of an FIR does not mean that the allegations have been judicially proved.
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