Hyderabad: Delhi Police has booked senior Supreme Court lawyer Prashant Bhushan for allegedly circulating a digitally manipulated video falsely attributed to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, officials said.
The video, which purportedly showed Lavrov making critical remarks about India's internal affairs and its oil purchases, was earlier flagged by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). In its fact-check, the ministry clarified that the clip had been digitally manipulated and the remarks were falsely attributed to the Russian foreign minister.
Police registered the FIR at the Special Cell police station after coming across a social media post during cyber patrolling on November 3. The post, shared by the handle @thequotesnews, alleged that the video had been shared from Bhushan's X account.
Officials said the content of the video was misleading and inflammatory and could potentially spread rumours, defame individuals and disturb public order.
The FIR has been registered under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Information Technology Act.
Police are now investigating the matter, including examining the video's content and how it was circulated on social media.