Mumbai: Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari has been granted permission by the Bombay High Court to file a civil suit against Meta Platforms, X Corp, Google LLC and others over allegedly defamatory AI-generated deepfake videos and manipulated digital content linked to the ethanol-blended fuel controversy.
BREAKING: Bombay HC gives Nitin Gadkari the GREEN LIGHT to sue Meta (and others including X & Google) over AI deepfakes and DEFAMATORY posts.
The content allegedly shows him personally profiting from the E20 ethanol policy, claims he calls FALSE and MOTIVATED.…
— Megh Updates 🚨™ (@MeghUpdates) July 27, 2026
The proposed suit seeks the removal of content that Gadkari claims falsely links him to the Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) programme and the E20 initiative. In his plea, he asserted that both programmes are administered solely by the Union Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, and that he has no role in their implementation.
Justice Abhay Ahuja permitted Gadkari, represented by advocate Sandeep S. Ladda, to institute the civil suit before the Bombay High Court. The court will consider his plea for interim relief, including a temporary injunction against the disputed content, at a later date. The Union Ministries of Electronics and Information Technology and Telecommunications have also been named as respondents in the case.
In his civil suit, Nitin Gadkari clarified that the objective of the case is not to restrict public debate, criticism or discussion about his actions or government policies, but to seek action against allegedly defamatory and AI-generated deepfake content.
“The purpose and object of filing the suit is not to curtail or prevent the public at large from engaging in discussion, debate, analysis or fair, just and bona fide criticism of any decision taken by the plaintiff himself or by his office,” the plea stated. It contends that the videos and digital content circulated on various platforms are “false, fabricated and defamatory” and have wrongly portrayed Gadkari. The suit further argues that the AI-generated deepfake videos constitute an unauthorised use of Gadkari’s personality and publicity rights without his knowledge or consent.
The suit states that Gadkari has “no role or nexus whatsoever” with the Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) programme or the E20 initiative, both of which are administered exclusively by the Union Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas. It further argues that the allegedly defamatory content, including abusive and profane remarks directed at him, goes beyond the scope of legitimate political criticism or satire.
According to the plea, the AI-generated deepfake videos amount to an unauthorised exploitation of Gadkari’s personality and publicity rights. It also contends that the balance of convenience lies in his favour, as the continued circulation of the content is causing irreparable damage to his reputation that cannot be compensated through monetary relief.
Gadkari has alleged that unknown individuals circulated posts and deepfake videos falsely portraying him as personally responsible for the EBP and E20 initiatives. The plea further claims that the content wrongly suggests he and his family derived financial benefits from these programmes.
Describing the allegations as “false, fabricated and misleading,” the suit argues that the content creates a false impression that Gadkari misused his public office for personal gain, thereby causing serious and lasting harm to his reputation. The plea seeks directions from the court to order the defendants to remove, disable and prevent the further circulation of the allegedly defamatory and manipulated content.
The legal action comes after the BJP’s Nagpur city social media cell chief lodged a police complaint against several social media influencers and content creators over posts allegedly targeting Gadkari in connection with the ethanol-blended fuel controversy.
