E20 row: Gadkari moves Bombay HC over 'defamatory' posts, deepfakes

NEW DELHI: The Bombay high court on Monday allowed Union minister Nitin Gadkari to file a civil suit against the alleged circulation of defamatory and deepfake content about him on the internet in connection with the E20 ethanol-blended petrol programme.Justice Abhay Ahuja granted Gadkari permission to institute the suit after his lawyer, Advocate Sandeep S Ladda, sought leave under Clause XII of the Letters Patent. The provision requires the court's permission when part of the cause of action arises outside its territorial jurisdiction, Bar and Bench reported.Ladda submitted that the allegedly defamatory and deepfake material was publicly available on social media platforms, including to users in Mumbai. He argued that since the content could be viewed within the jurisdiction of the Bombay high court, a substantial part of the cause of action arose in the city.At the same time, the content was accessible across the country and outside Mumbai through internet platforms. Ladda therefore sought permission under Clause XII to enable Gadkari to bring the proposed suit before the High Court's original civil jurisdiction.The court granted the leave sought, allowing Gadkari to proceed with the substantive civil suit.What Gadkari has allegedGadkari, who is the Union minister for road transport and highways, has alleged that unknown persons circulated social media posts, videos and AI-generated deepfake content falsely portraying him as personally responsible for the E20 programme.As quoted by Bar & Bench, according to the proposed suit, the content also allegedly claims that Gadkari and his family financially benefited from the ethanol-blending programme. Gadkari has described the allegations as false, malicious and defamatory.He has alleged that the content is intended to create a misleading impression that he misused his public office for personal gain, causing serious harm to his reputation, dignity, goodwill and public image.The proposed suit seeks permanent and mandatory injunctions against the circulation of the alleged defamatory and deepfake material, including social media posts, reels, videos and other online content.Gadkari has also alleged that some of the material falsely attributes statements to him and uses AI-manipulated audio-visual content to imitate his name, image, likeness, facial features and voice without his consent.The proposed defendants include Meta Platforms, which operates Facebook and Instagram, X Corp, Google LLC and YouTube. The Union ministry of electronics and information technology and the department of telecommunications have also been named.The unidentified creators and distributors of the alleged content have been included as 'Ashok Kumars/John Does'.The suit, however, makes clear that Gadkari is not seeking to prevent legitimate criticism or public debate. It states that fair and good-faith criticism based on facts and without malice is not the subject of the action.The plea instead targets what Gadkari describes as false and defamatory allegations that cross the limits of lawful speech.What is E20 petrol?E20 petrol is a fuel blend containing 20% ethanol and 80% petrol. The programme is part of the government's efforts to reduce India's dependence on imported crude oil, lower emissions and increase the use of domestically produced biofuels.The rollout of E20 has also led to concerns over the compatibility of older vehicles that were not designed for higher ethanol blends. Some vehicle owners have raised concerns about fuel efficiency, corrosion and potential compatibility issues.Vehicle manufacturers have increasingly introduced models compatible with E20, while questions remain over vehicles manufactured before the wider adoption of the blend.Gadkari's proposed suit maintains that the E20 programme is administered by the petroleum and natural gas ministry, rather than by him personally.Get the latest India News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.