Kancha Gachibowli: Telangana High Court refuses to issue directions for probe on AI images

The bench, however, directed the State government, its revenue, forest, and police wings to file their counters by April 24

Hyderabad: A division bench of the Telangana High Court on Monday refused to issue directions to the police to furnish a probe report on what the State government called a ‘vicious campaign by creating and circulating fake AI-generated images of peacocks and deer’ in connection with the Kancha Gachibowli forest controversy.

Appearing for the Telangana Forest Department, senior counsel Menaka Guruswamy stated that those opposing the State government’s proposal for an IT hub at the site had resorted to a “vicious campaign by creating and circulating fake images of peacocks and deer being petrified due to the alleged destruction”.

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“They were misusing social media by spreading these fake images and news through them,” she said while urging the court to direct the police to furnish a preliminary probe report on such vicious efforts. However, the bench issued no such directions, stating that it was open for all the departments to file their counters, status reports, etc., and posted the case for April 24.

Earlier, the division bench deferred the hearing on the alleged destruction of Kancha Gachibowli forest. The bench of Acting Chief Justice Sujoy Paul and Justice Renuka Yara, however, directed the State, its revenue, forest, and police wings to file their counters by April 24, the next date of hearing.

The bench was hearing a batch of PILs filed by Vata Foundation, HCU Students Union, and others who questioned the clearing of the 400 acres in Survey Number 25 of Kancha Gachibowli for a reported IT infra hub to be developed through TGIIC.

Vata Foundation, one of the PIL petitioners, urged the High Court to defer the hearing here as the Supreme Court was seized of the matter. Senior counsel S Niranjan Reddy informed the High Court bench that the apex court had directed the central empowered committee to study the area and to report back.

The Chief Secretary was also asked to file an affidavit before the Supreme Court on whether the State followed norms like environment impact study, obtaining the required permissions like environmental clearance, etc. The Supreme Court, which had questioned the State’s act and stayed the whole process, will hear the case again on April 16, he informed the court.