The Bombay High Court on Monday permitted Union minister for road transport and highways Nitin Gadkari to move a civil suit against Meta, X Corp., Google LLC, and unknown others over alleged defamatory posts and AI-generated deepfake content circulating on social media.

The order, passed by single-judge Justice Abhay Ahuja, gives Gadkari leave to file a substantive suit on the original side of the high court and to seek interim relief against the content that he says falsely links him and his family to the E20 ethanol-blended petrol program.

The case now moves beyond the preliminary stage of seeking permission, though the detailed order has not yet been made public.

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A matter of reputation, duly contested

According to the plea filed through advocate Sandeep S. Ladda, the challenged material was published and circulated on platforms owned, operated, or administered by the defendants and remained freely accessible to the public.

The petition said the posts, videos, photographs, and other digital material used AI-generated, morphed, manipulated, or fabricated audio-visual content to simulate Gadkari’s name, image, and likeness without his knowledge or consent.

It also alleged that the defendants made such material available to the public at large and that the posts were circulating “malicious, false, derogatory, and abusive” content.

The suit is expected to seek removal of the allegedly offending material from the internet and social media platforms.

Beneath the bonnet of the E20 row

The dispute comes amid continued criticism of the E20 policy, which provides for 20% ethanol blending in petrol as part of the government’s effort to cut crude imports and reduce emissions.

The policy was launched in 2014 and expanded rapidly from 2021 onward, reaching the 20% blending milestone in 2025, five years ahead of the original target.

While the program has drawn objections from some vehicle owners, especially those with models made before 2023, Gadkari has publicly defended it.

Earlier this month, he challenged critics to name a single car that had faced problems because of E20 petrol.

The law now takes the wheel

The legal move follows complaints lodged in Maharashtra over similar content. A complaint by BJP Nagpur City Social Media Cell convener Shishir Arun Tripathi last month led to an FIR under Sections 356, 352, and 296 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, along with Section 67 of the Information Technology Act, 2000.

The complaint targeted postings and videos that made unfounded and offensive allegations about Gadkari and E20 fuel. These included posts from accounts like Desi Boys, Harshit Rathi, and Anklesh Inwati, as well as a YouTube video posted on July 3, 2026, by creator Manish Kasyap.

With the high court granting leave, Gadkari can now institute the proposed suit against the platforms and the unidentified entities allegedly involved in circulating the disputed material.

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FAQs

Q1: Why did Nitin Gadkari move the Bombay High Court?

Nitin Gadkari approached the Bombay High Court over alleged defamatory and AI-generated deepfake posts linking him to the E20 fuel policy.

Q2: What did the Bombay High Court decide in the case?

The Bombay High Court granted Gadkari permission to file a civil suit against Meta, X, Google and other parties over the disputed online content.