Nitin Gadkari To Sue Meta, X, Google Over Deepfakes On E20

Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, can file a civil suit against social media platforms and others for spreading misleading claim that he and his family are gaining from E20 initiative. The Bombay High Court on Monday gave a green signal to Gadkari to file a civil suit against Meta-owned Facebook and Instagram, and X, Google, and the unidentified entities or pages being used to spread 'defamatory' content.

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) have also been made respondents in the case.

The order follows Gadkari's plea stating that social media content, including posts, deepfake pictures and videos, among others, links him and his family to profits from the Centre's E20 ethanol-blended petrol programme.

Gadkari has contended that the campaign is false, malicious, and defamatory, aimed at misleading the public and tarnishing his image.

In his petition, Gadkari emphasised that the Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) Programme, including the E20 initiative, falls under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas and not the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, making the allegations factually incorrect.

Gadkari has asserted that he has no role in formulating, implementing, or administering the E20 policy, making the allegations against him baseless.

The suit seeks immediate removal of AI-generated deepfake videos, edited clips, and related posts that, according to Gadkari, falsely associates him and his family with the E20 programme from social media platforms.

Gadkari has sought directions against those responsible for creating, publishing, and circulating the allegedly defamatory content across digital platforms.

The plea also seeks restraint on further publication and circulation of such content.

The Bombay High Court has permitted Gadkari to institute the civil suit, while his plea for interim relief will be considered at the next stage of the proceedings.

The Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) Programme is one of India's key energy initiatives aimed at improving energy security, supporting farmers, and reducing environmental impact through greater use of domestically produced renewable fuel.