E20 Petrol|Bombay High Court Allows Nitin Gadkari to Sue Meta, X Over AI Deepfakes

The Bombay High Court on Monday permitted Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari to institute a civil suit against Meta Platforms, X Corp, Google LLC and others over allegedly defamatory AI-generated deepfake videos and manipulated digital content falsely linking him to the Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) programme and the E20 fuel initiative.

The bench of Justice Abhay Ahuja granted Gadkari leave to file the suit and said his application seeking interim relief, including a temporary injunction directing the removal of the content, would be considered at a later stage.

According to the suit, Gadkari has sought directions for the removal of online content that allegedly associates him with the EBP programme and the E20 initiative. The minister has contended that both initiatives are administered exclusively by the Union Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas and that he has no role in framing or implementing them.

Represented by advocate Sandeep S. Ladda, Gadkari has named Meta Platforms, X Corp, Google LLC and several other entities as defendants. The Union Ministries of Electronics and Information Technology and Telecommunications have also been impleaded as respondents in the proceedings.

In his plaint, Gadkari has clarified that the suit is not intended to curb public debate or criticism of government policies. Instead, he has argued that the case concerns the circulation of fabricated and defamatory AI-generated content that falsely portrays him as being responsible for the E20 policy.

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 states. It adds that the content in question is "false, fabricated and defamatory" insofar as it concerns the plaintiff.

The suit further alleges that the deepfake videos constitute an unauthorised use of Gadkari's personality and publicity rights without his consent. According to the minister, the allegedly manipulated videos and posts not only misrepresent his role in the E20 programme but also contain abusive and profane language that falls outside the scope of legitimate political criticism or satire.

The matter assumes significance as it is among the latest cases before Indian courts concerning the use of artificial intelligence to create deepfake content targeting public figures.