Viral video case: Court stays Anant’s arrest till May 30

Patna: The MP-MLA court has stayed the arrest of JD(U) MLA Anant Singh till May 30 in connection with the controversial viral video case from Gopalganj.

After hearing his anticipatory bail plea, the court fixed the next hearing for Saturday before district and sessions judge III-cum-special judge of MP-MLA court Rajendra Kumar Pandey.

The case relates to a viral video from an Upanayana ceremony held in Semraon village under Mirganj police station in Gopalganj district. The video allegedly showed open display of weapons and an obscene dance performance in the presence of the MLA.

An FIR was lodged against nine persons, including Anant and Bhojpuri artist Gunjan Singh.

Appearing for the MLA, advocates Kumar Harshvardhan and Rajesh Kumar Pathak argued that the case was politically motivated and the video had either been edited or generated using Artificial Intelligence (AI).

“The video in question appears to have been generated using Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Anant is not seen holding any weapon in the footage. Taking these points into consideration, the court granted him relief and stayed the arrest,” Pathak said after the hearing.