India probes fake court orders used to block betting sites
- Reuters investigation reveals Indian authorities blocked 129 betting websites using fake court orders.
- The Department of Telecommunications issued blocking directives based on fraudulent documents in July and September 2026.
- Police have launched a formal probe after the Allahabad High Court confirmed an order attributed to it was forged.
- A separate Allahabad High Court case is investigating an AI-generated marksheet used in a marriage dispute.
- India's Supreme Court previously set aside tribunal orders that were based on non-existent judgments.
These blocking directives were issued on July 21 and September 2, 2026, and were published on the official government website.
Both fraudulent court orders remained posted on the Indian telecoms ministry's website as of Wednesday, November 11, 2026.
Police launch investigation into fraudulent legal documents
Police have launched an investigation into the matter following the discovery of the fraudulent court orders.
The Allahabad High Court filed a police complaint on November 6, 2026, after confirming an order attributed to it was fake.
This triggered an investigation into unknown persons for forgery and cheating.
Senior state cybercrime official Ghanshyam Yadav confirmed on Tuesday, November 10, 2026, that the Allahabad High Court order is fake and that no arrests have been made.
Details of the forged Allahabad and Rajasthan High Court orders
The fake Rajasthan order was emailed to the telecoms department on July 19, 2026, signed by an advocate-on-record named Aryan Chaudhary, but the email address used was invalid.
An individual identifying as advocate Kartikey Pandey sent the fake Allahabad order to Indian officials on August 22, 2026, but did not respond to a Reuters query.
The fake Allahabad order contained a QR code that linked to a random webpage displaying the case number Writ - A 30480/2026.
Allahabad High Court orders probe into AI-generated marksheet
The Allahabad High Court ordered the Lucknow Commissioner of Police to appoint an officer at the rank of Deputy Commissioner of Police to investigate a forged high school marksheet.
During the proceedings, the court identified a discrepancy in the date of birth of petitioner number two.
On September 22, 2026, the Secretary of the Arya Samaj in Sector Q, Aliganj, Lucknow, presented a different marksheet he claimed was provided by the petitioner.
This second document differed from the first in its certificate numbers, language, and date of birth. The court observed that the marksheet produced by the Secretary appeared to be manipulated using Artificial Intelligence and described the document as a "fruit of poisonous tree".
The court directed the petitioners, the Arya Samaj Secretary, and the priest who performed the marriage to appear before the Inquiry Officer as needed. The officer was also tasked with conducting an on-site inquiry.
A report on the individuals involved in preparing the forged document must be submitted within four weeks of the September 25 order. The matter is listed for a hearing on November 12, 2026.
Broader pattern of fake legal directives in India
Elon Musk's X platform recently reported to an Indian court that police directives it received to remove accounts belonging to two free speech groups were fake.
In July 2026, the Supreme Court of India set aside tribunal orders that were based on non-existent judgments.
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