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Union Minister Nitin Gadkari has moved the Bombay High Court seeking ₹11 crore in damages over alleged violations of his personality rights through abusive social media posts, AI-generated deepfakes and fabricated content falsely linking him and his family to the Centre's E20 ethanol-blending programme and alleged corruption.
The 86-page suit, filed through advocate Sandeep Laddha, seeks permanent and mandatory injunctions directing the removal of allegedly manipulated videos, AI-generated images, face-swap videos and deepfakes that use Gadkari's name, face, voice and mannerisms without his consent. The petition argues that such content violates his personality and publicity rights through the unauthorised digital appropriation of his identity.
According to the suit, Gadkari has no role in formulating, administering or implementing the Ethanol Blending Programme (EBP) or the E20 initiative. It states that the programme falls under the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG), not the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, which Gadkari heads.
The petition traces the origins of the Ethanol Blending Programme to a 2003 Government of India policy and states that it has gradually expanded to the current 20% ethanol blending target for the 2025-26 ethanol supply year. Gadkari argued that all policy decisions, implementation and regulatory oversight related to E20 are handled exclusively by the MoPNG.
The suit 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 petition, 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. The minister contends these allegations are baseless and contradicted by official government records, amounting to defamation and documentary falsity.
The suit further states that Gadkari does not seek to restrict fair criticism or public debate over government policy, but argues that the disputed content goes beyond legitimate political criticism or satire by using abusive language, fabricated visuals and false statements targeting his reputation. It identifies 26 links containing the allegedly defamatory content and seeks their removal along with compensation of ₹11 crore.
The matter came up before Justice Arif Doctor on Wednesday, where counsel representing Google informed the court that they had not been served with a copy of the suit. The court directed Gadkari's counsel, Sandeep S. Laddha, to serve the suit copy on the respondents and adjourned the matter till next Wednesday.
The 86-page suit, filed through advocate Sandeep Laddha, seeks permanent and mandatory injunctions directing the removal of allegedly manipulated videos, AI-generated images, face-swap videos and deepfakes that use Gadkari's name, face, voice and mannerisms without his consent. The petition argues that such content violates his personality and publicity rights through the unauthorised digital appropriation of his identity.
According to the suit, Gadkari has no role in formulating, administering or implementing the Ethanol Blending Programme (EBP) or the E20 initiative. It states that the programme falls under the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG), not the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, which Gadkari heads.
The petition traces the origins of the Ethanol Blending Programme to a 2003 Government of India policy and states that it has gradually expanded to the current 20% ethanol blending target for the 2025-26 ethanol supply year. Gadkari argued that all policy decisions, implementation and regulatory oversight related to E20 are handled exclusively by the MoPNG.
The suit 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 petition, 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. The minister contends these allegations are baseless and contradicted by official government records, amounting to defamation and documentary falsity.
The suit further states that Gadkari does not seek to restrict fair criticism or public debate over government policy, but argues that the disputed content goes beyond legitimate political criticism or satire by using abusive language, fabricated visuals and false statements targeting his reputation. It identifies 26 links containing the allegedly defamatory content and seeks their removal along with compensation of ₹11 crore.
The matter came up before Justice Arif Doctor on Wednesday, where counsel representing Google informed the court that they had not been served with a copy of the suit. The court directed Gadkari's counsel, Sandeep S. Laddha, to serve the suit copy on the respondents and adjourned the matter till next Wednesday.
