Just Like Nitin Gadkari, These Leaders Too Raised Real Concerns Over Deepfakes: Who Are They?
Just Like Nitin Gadkari, These Leaders Too Raised Real Concerns Over Deepfakes: Who Are They? Published By, Last Updated: July 27, 2026, 16:29 IST The
Just Like Nitin Gadkari, These Leaders Too Raised Real Concerns Over Deepfakes: Who Are They? Published By, Last Updated: July 27, 2026, 16:29 IST The Bombay HC has allowed Nitin Gadkari to file a civil suit against Meta and other social media platforms allegedly being used to spread misinformation against his family and him Rapid Read (Clockwise from left) Nitin Gadkari, Shashi Tharoor and Piyush Goyal. (News18 File) Union Minister Nitin Gadkari has approached the Bombay High Court against social media posts linking him and his family to alleged E20-related business gains. According to Gadkari’s lawsuit filed in the Bombay High Court, the disputed content on social media includes posts, deepfake pictures and videos, among others, allegedly linking him and his family to profits from the E20 ethanol blending programme. The lawsuit filed by him also emphasises that the ethanol blending policy is being administered by the Petroleum Ministry. The Bombay High Court has allowed Gadkari to file a civil suit against Meta and other social media platforms, as well as unidentified entities allegedly being used to spread misinformation against Gadkari and his family. The development comes amid growing public scrutiny over ethanol-blended fuel, particularly E20 petrol, following claims on social media that the higher ethanol blend had caused performance issues and damage in some vehicles. Along with Nitin Gadkari, two other leaders, too, have raised questions over deepfakes. THE LEADERS WHO RAISED THEIR VOICE OVER DEEPFAKES Nitin Gadkari (Union Minister) Nitin Gadkari, the Union Road Transport and Highways Minister, on Monday secured permission from the Bombay High Court to file a civil lawsuit against Meta Platforms, X Corp, and Google LLC.
Unidentified entities circulated AI-generated deepfake videos and manipulated posts falsely claiming Gadkari and his family were personally profiting from the government’s E20 ethanol-blended petrol initiative. Gadkari’s lawsuit notes that the policy is actually managed by a completely different ministry. The suit seeks a permanent injunction to remove the defamatory media. Piyush Goyal (Union Minister) Union Minister Piyush Goyal has lodged a formal police complaint and registered an FIR after an AI-altered deepfake video surfaced showing him making threatening remarks toward students. It was primarily a criminal complaint and takedown request rather than a direct corporate lawsuit. Shashi Tharoor (Congress MP) Shashi Tharoor, a senior Member of Parliament and Chairperson of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs, in May moved the Delhi High Court against Meta Platforms and X Corp. Hyper-realistic AI-generated deepfake videos misappropriated Tharoor’s face, voice, and likeness. The deepfakes falsely depicted him “praising Pakistan’s diplomatic strategy" and making controversial statements on highly sensitive international matters. The Delhi High Court issued summons to the social media intermediaries to take down the non-consensual content. WHAT THE INDIAN LAW SAYS Indian law does not provide safe-haven immunity to platforms for hosting deepfakes if they fail to comply with government mandate timelines, effectively allowing leaders to drag tech firms directly to court. The legal framework is governed by a combination of strict statutory rules, penal codes, and judicial precedents on personality rights 1.
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