[IN] - E20 petrol row: Nitin Gadkari moves Bombay HC…

Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari has received permission from the Bombay High Court to file a civil suit regarding the circulation of defamatory content and AI-generated deepfakes. The legal action addresses material falsely linking the minister to the government's E20 ethanol-blended petrol programme.

What happened

Nitin Gadkari alleges that unknown individuals have circulated social media posts, reels, and videos that utilize AI-manipulated audio-visual content to imitate his likeness, facial features, and voice without his consent. According to the proposed suit, these materials falsely portray the minister as personally responsible for the E20 programme and claim that he and his family have financially benefited from its implementation.

The minister asserts that this content is intended to create a misleading impression that he has misused his public office for personal gain, resulting in damage to his reputation and public image. The suit clarifies that the E20 programme is actually administered by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, rather than by Gadkari personally.

Through his legal counsel, Gadkari successfully sought leave under Clause XII of the Letters Patent to institute the suit in the Bombay High Court, arguing that the content is accessible to users within the court's jurisdiction. The proposed defendants include major internet platforms such as Meta Platforms, X Corp, and Google LLC, alongside the Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and the Department of Telecommunications. The suit also names unidentified creators as 'Ashok Kumars/John Does'. While seeking permanent and mandatory injunctions against the distribution of the alleged deepfakes and defamatory posts, the minister emphasized that the legal action is not intended to suppress legitimate criticism or good-faith public debate.