A Mumbai court on Wednesday 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.

Patil, who operates an Ayurveda medicine firm in Rishikesh, had his pre-arrest bail plea rejected by Sessions Judge V.M. Pathade. The detailed order is yet to be made available.

The accused allegedly created and posted obscene deepfake videos of Bachchan on social media to promote products related to sexual health. Following the registration of a case against him, Patil sought anticipatory bail, asserting that the allegations were "baseless, false, and fabricated," and that he had not committed any offense.

The police opposed Patil's plea, arguing that cyber criminals often believe they can easily secure bail even after stealing the identities of celebrities and creating fake obscene videos. Such perceptions were emboldening these criminals, the prosecution argued. Special Public Prosecutor Iqbal Solkar stated that granting bail to the accused would hamper the investigation.

The prosecution also claimed that the obscene videos had tarnished Bachchan’s image globally. Bachchan’s legal team had lodged a complaint with Mumbai cyber police on May 4 after discovering several deepfake videos showing the actor promoting Patil’s products using obscene language.

Judge Pathade subsequently dismissed Patil’s plea, underscoring the serious nature of the allegations and the potential impact on the ongoing investigation.