Police complaint against Prashant Bhushan for sharing fake video of Russian Foreign Minister

Delhi Police has initiated an investigation by registering a serious offense against Supreme Court senior advocate Prashant Bhushan. This matter is linked to sharing a purportedly digitally manipulated or tampered video of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on social media. According to reports from Hindustan Times and The Hindu, the video allegedly showed the Russian Foreign Minister making anti-India remarks regarding India's internal matters and India's oil purchases from Russia. The Special Cell of Delhi Police has registered a case under FIR number 263/26 in this matter.

According to the police, this entire incident came to light on November 3, 2026, during cyber patrolling. On the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), a handle named @thequotesnews claimed that a fabricated video of the Russian Foreign Minister was shared from Prashant Bhushan's official handle @pbhushan1. This video portrayed Lavrov criticizing India and termed it a 'slap on the face' for the Indian government. The police state that the content in this video was misleading, defamatory, and provocative, with the intent to potentially disrupt public order and spread rumors.

In this case, Delhi Police has taken action under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). These include Section 336(4), which relates to damaging someone's reputation through forged documents; Section 353(1)(c), which is punishable for inciting one community against another by spreading false information; Section 356, relating to defamation; and Section 340(2), which applies to the fraudulent use of forged electronic records. Additionally, a case has also been registered under Section 66C of the IT Act, which is associated with identity theft and misuse of electronic signatures or passwords.

紆The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and the Russian Embassy have also termed this video completely fake. The Fact Check Unit of the Ministry of External Affairs clarified that this video has been digitally tampered with and the audio and caption placed in it are entirely fictitious. The Russian Embassy has also officially rejected these statements and confirmed that the video being circulated in Lavrov's name is fabricated. The police are now conducting a thorough investigation into the original source of this video and how it was disseminated on social media.

Along with this incident, the Ministry of External Affairs has also exposed another fabricated post that was circulated in the name of External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar. This post claimed that Jaishankar was disappointed by the 'sarcastic' reaction of the Russian minister regarding the Russia-Ukraine war. In reality, this video was from the G20 Foreign Ministers' meeting held in Atlanta on October 30-31, where Jaishankar spoke about the economic damage and devastation caused by the war. In the original video, Jaishankar clarified that India had discussed restoring civilian shipping and grain exports with Russia, Kyiv, and European countries. He had stated that he also held talks on this issue with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. However, this statement was twisted and presented out of context on social media.

Prashant Bhushan is a well-known Supreme Court lawyer and social activist. He has previously been in discussions for numerous public interest litigations and legal battles. He has been associated with organizations such as 'Swaraj Abhiyan' and 'Campaign for Judicial Accountability and Reforms'. In the past, he has played an active role on several issues concerning the judiciary and anti-corruption, due to which he has often remained embroiled in controversies. Presently, following this FIR, the pace of police investigation has intensified, and indications of strict action against those spreading misinformation on social media have emerged.