Vile and abusive: Court orders removal of fake videos linking Gadkari to E20 row
Granting interim relief, the Bombay High Court on Wednesday directed intermediaries, including Meta and YouTube, to take down deepfakes, AI-generated images and other posts falsely
Granting interim relief, the Bombay High Court on Wednesday directed intermediaries, including Meta and YouTube, to take down deepfakes, AI-generated images and other posts falsely linking Union Minister Nitin Gadkari and his family to the E20 fuel controversy, describing the content as "vile and abusive." The court also said that if any such posts come to Gadkari's notice in the future, he may notify the intermediaries, who will then be required to take the necessary action. Read Full Story Last week, Gadkari had approached the Bombay High Court seeking Rs 11 crore in damages over alleged violations of his personality rights through abusive social media posts, AI-generated deepfakes and fabricated content. In the suit, Gadkari said the material falsely links him and his family to the Centre's E20 ethanol-blending programme and to alleged corruption.
In the 86-page suit, filed through advocate Sandeep Laddha, Gadkari said he has no role in formulating, administering or implementing the Ethanol Blending Programme or the E20 initiative. The petition said the programme falls under the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, and not the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, which he heads. The suit traces the Ethanol Blending Programme to a Government of India policy from 2003 and said it has gradually expanded to the current 20 per cent ethanol blending target for the 2025-26 ethanol supply year. Gadkari said all policy decisions, implementation and regulatory oversight linked to E20 are handled exclusively by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas. The petition names Meta, which operates Facebook and Instagram, X, Google and YouTube, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, the Department of Telecommunications, and unidentified users described as Ashok Kumar/John Doe as defendants.
According to the suit, several viral reels, memes, videos and fabricated quotes falsely portray Gadkari as the architect of the E20 policy and accuse him of benefiting financially through his family. He said the allegations are baseless, contradicted by official government records, and amount to defamation and documentary falsity. Gadkari has sought permanent and mandatory injunctions directing the removal of allegedly manipulated videos, AI-generated images, face-swap videos and deepfakes that use his name, face, voice and mannerisms without consent. He argued that the content violates his personality and publicity rights through the unauthorised digital appropriation of his identity. The petition said he is not seeking to restrict fair criticism or public debate over government policy, but argued that the disputed material goes beyond legitimate political criticism or satire by using abusive language, fabricated visuals and false statements targeting his reputation.
The BriefWire