Bombay HC clears Nitin Gadkari's plea to sue Meta, X, Google over alleged deepfake and ...

The Bombay High Court on Monday granted Union Minister Nitin Gadkari permission to institute a civil suit against Meta, X, Google, YouTube and unidentified individuals over the alleged circulation of defamatory posts and AI-generated deepfake content targeting him. The order enables Gadkari to formally pursue legal action before the High Court's original civil jurisdiction.

As per a report by Bar and Bench, Justice Abhay Ahuja allowed Gadkari's application seeking leave under Clause XII of the Letters Patent, a procedural requirement invoked when part of the cause of action arises outside the court's territorial jurisdiction. A detailed copy of the order is awaited.

Appearing for Gadkari, Advocate Sandeep S. Ladda argued that the disputed content was accessible to users in Mumbai through various online platforms, bringing part of the cause of action within the Bombay High Court's jurisdiction. At the same time, because the material was available across the country through the internet, permission under Clause XII was required before the suit could be filed.

The proposed civil suit alleges that unknown individuals circulated social media posts, videos and AI-generated deepfake material falsely portraying Gadkari as personally responsible for India's ethanol blending programme and claiming that he and his family had benefited financially from the policy.

According to the proposed plaint, the allegations are fabricated, malicious and intended to damage the Union Minister's public image by creating a false impression that he misused his office for personal gain. Gadkari has argued that the content has caused serious harm to his reputation, goodwill and personality rights.

The suit also seeks permanent and mandatory injunctions against content that allegedly uses manipulated audio and video, falsely attributes statements to Gadkari and reproduces his name, likeness, facial features and voice without consent. Besides major technology companies, the proposed defendants include the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, the Department of Telecommunications and unidentified content creators impleaded as John Doe defendants.

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The petition clarifies that it does not seek to restrict fair criticism or public debate. Instead, it argues that the legal action is aimed at addressing content that allegedly crosses the line into defamation through false claims and AI-enabled impersonation.

Gadkari currently serves as the Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways. While the case refers to the government's E20 fuel programme, the petition notes that the ethanol blending initiative is administered by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas and not by the Road Transport Ministry.

With the High Court granting procedural approval, Gadkari can now proceed with filing the substantive civil suit against the platforms and other parties named in the case.

The case comes as concerns over AI-generated misinformation continue to grow in India's political landscape. Just days ago, Union Minister Piyush Goyal filed a police complaint after an AI-generated deepfake video allegedly manipulated his remarks to the media outside Parliament and circulated them on social media.

In a post on X, Goyal said the video had been digitally altered to spread misinformation and confirmed that an FIR had been registered at Delhi's Chanakyapuri Police Station. He warned that authorities would pursue legal action not only against those who created the fabricated video but also against individuals involved in distributing or amplifying it online. The minister also urged the public to rely only on verified sources for authentic information.

According to government sources, several online links carrying the manipulated clip have already been taken down. The video had reportedly portrayed Goyal making inflammatory remarks students protesting over alleged irregularities in competitive examinations, including NEET, claims that were later flagged as false by the Press Information Bureau's fact-check unit. The agency said the content originated from propaganda-linked social media accounts and had been generated using artificial intelligence.