Bombay HC Orders Takedown of AI Deepfakes, 'Vile' Posts Against Nitin Gadkari Over E20 Row

Mumbai: In a significant judicial intervention addressing the rise of synthetic media disinformation, the Bombay High Court on Wednesday, 5 August 2026, ordered the immediate takedown of "vile, abusive, and obscene" social media posts and AI-generated deepfakes targeting Union Minister Nitin Gadkari. 

Justice Arif Doctor, presiding over a single-judge bench, granted interim relief to the Minister for Road Transport and Highways, directing major technology platforms including Meta Platforms Inc., X Corp, and Google LLC to ensure the removal of the defamatory content forthwith.

The action stems from a civil defamation suit filed by the Minister seeking ₹11 crore in damages for what he described as a coordinated campaign to tarnish his reputation. The suit highlighted a series of manipulated audio-visual clips, synthetic voice clones, and morphed videos circulating across digital channels. These deepfakes falsely portrayed Gadkari as being personally responsible for the government's Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) programme and the E20 fuel initiative, further alleging that he and his family members had derived undue financial benefits from these policies.

During the proceedings, the court expressed strong disapproval of the nature of the content available on public platforms. Justice Doctor observed that the material was "absolutely vile and abusive," noting that such content should have no place on the internet where it remains accessible to the younger generation. The judge questioned the intermediaries on their existing internal mechanisms, asking why they lacked automated "triggers" to immediately pick up and delete vulgar or abusive uploads without requiring a person to approach the court for every instance.

The Minister’s petition, filed through advocate Sandeep Ladda, clarified a critical administrative distinction that formed the basis of the defamation claim. It stated that the ethanol-blending programme is exclusively administered and implemented by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, and not the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways led by Gadkari. The legal team argued that the allegations of corruption, nepotism, and conflict of interest were ex-facie false and designed to create a misleading public perception against the Minister. Specifically, the suit addressed claims that Gadkari's son, Nikhil Gadkari, benefited through a company called CIAN Agro Industries & Infrastructure Limited, which Gadkari denied as factually incorrect and malicious.

While Meta’s counsel pointed out that some content might fall under the category of "fair criticism," the court and Gadkari’s counsel clarified that the injunction was not intended to stifle legitimate public debate or bona fide comments on government policy. Instead, the order focused strictly on content that crossed the line into defamatory, manipulated, and synthetic media. The court endorsed this distinction, emphasizing that while policy debate is protected, the use of AI to fabricate statements and visuals falls outside the scope of lawful speech.

In a move to prevent future recurrences, the High Court issued a dynamic injunction. This mechanism allows Gadkari to notify the social media platforms directly if similar deepfake or abusive content surfaces in the future. Upon such notification, the platforms are required to act promptly without the need for the Minister to initiate fresh legal proceedings for each specific link or post. The court noted that if any content falls into a "grey area" where its defamatory nature is disputed, the parties maintain the liberty to approach the court for further clarification.

The matter has been posted for further hearing in four weeks, by which time the respondent platforms are required to file their affidavits in reply to the Minister's plea.