The Delhi High Court declined to expedite a hearing concerning the ban of DeepSeek, an AI chatbot developed by Chinese entities, stating there was no urgency to prioritize the public interest litigation (PIL). The decision was pronounced on Tuesday by a bench comprising Chief Justice D.K. Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela, who did not find sufficient grounds for an early hearing.
During the session, the petitioner’s counsel argued that the matter was of sensitive nature and required immediate attention. However, the court dismissed these claims, advising against the use of the platform if deemed harmful. “These kinds of platforms have been available in India for a long time. Not only DeepSeek but there are several such platforms available. Don’t use it if it’s so harmful,” the bench remarked.
The plea, initiated by lawyer Bhavna Sharma, aimed to block access to DeepSeek across India to safeguard the personal data of citizens and the integrity of government systems from potential cyber-attacks and data breaches. The application cited several vulnerabilities identified in the DeepSeek application soon after its launch, which purportedly led to significant leaks of sensitive personal data, including chat histories and back-end data.
Despite the plea’s urgent tone, the court held that the Internet offers myriad services and applications globally, and it is not mandatory for individuals to utilize all available options. The court had previously allowed the Centre’s counsel additional time to receive instructions on the matter, pushing the hearing to April 16.
