Exclusive-India ordered website takedowns on fake court orders, Reuters finds; police launch probe

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BENGALURU, Nov 11 : India's government ordered internet providers to block 129 illegal betting websites this year based on two state high court orders that Reuters has found were fake, findings that have triggered at least one police investigation.

The forgeries are the latest sign that fake orders are slipping past India's official content removal mechanism, considered one of the world's strictest, and could impact the online presence of any organisation operating in the country.

Court precedents generated using artificial intelligence have caused concerns among judges the world over. India's Supreme Court in July set aside a tribunal's orders that relied on non-existent judgments, and a US judge recently disqualified lawyers over use of fabricated ​legal citations.

India's Department of Telecommunications issued two website blocking directions on July 21 and September 2 - both available on its website as part of its routine uploads. Both directives came attached with emailed copies of purported court orders from the High Courts of western Rajasthan and northern Uttar Pradesh states ordering the removal of dozens of websites.

A Reuters review found neither court order appears in the courts' online registration records. After questions from the news agency, the Rajasthan High Court's registrar said in an email that the order bearing its name "appears to be fraudulent" and did not exist on its server. The court did not elaborate.

In Uttar Pradesh, the Allahabad High Court found its order was fake and filed a police complaint on November 6, prompted by Reuters' findings, according to police case documents, which also showed an investigation against unknown persons has been initiated for alleged forgery and cheating.

"It is fake. It is not a genuine order from High Court of Allahabad," Ghanshyam Yadav, a senior state cybercrime official told Reuters by telephone on Tuesday. He said no arrests had been made.

Between them, the two orders affected 129 websites featuring…

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