Union Minister Nitin Gadkari has approached the Bombay High Court, seeking ₹11 crore in damages over alleged defamatory content circulating on social media that he says illegally uses his identity through AI-generated deepfakes, manipulated videos and fabricated claims linking him and his family to corruption connected with the Centre’s E20 ethanol-blending programme.
In an extensive civil suit filed before the High Court through advocate Sandeep Laddha, Gadkari has sought legal protection against what he describes as a coordinated campaign aimed at damaging his reputation by spreading false and misleading content across multiple digital platforms.
The petition argues that Gadkari has no role in framing, implementing or supervising the Ethanol Blending Programme (EBP) or the E20 initiative. It states that the programme is administered exclusively by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, while Gadkari heads the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, making the allegations against him factually incorrect.
According to the suit, numerous social media reels, videos, memes, edited images and fabricated quotations have falsely portrayed the Union Minister as the architect of the ethanol policy while alleging that his family benefited financially from the programme. Gadkari has maintained that these accusations are entirely baseless and unsupported by official government records.
The petition further claims that AI-generated content, including deepfake videos, face-swapped visuals and manipulated voice recordings, has been circulated without his consent, violating his personality rights and unlawfully exploiting his public image. It contends that such content extends beyond political criticism and amounts to deliberate defamation through fabricated digital material.
The lawsuit has named Meta (which operates Facebook and Instagram), X, Google, YouTube, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and unidentified social media users listed as John Doe/Ashok Kumar as respondents.
Besides seeking ₹11 crore in compensation, Gadkari has requested the court to issue permanent directions for the removal of the allegedly defamatory content from digital platforms. The petition specifically seeks the deletion of manipulated videos, AI-generated visuals and other material that uses his name, image, voice and likeness without authorisation.
The suit also clarifies that Gadkari is not attempting to prevent legitimate criticism or public debate on government policies. Instead, it argues that the disputed posts rely on fabricated facts, abusive language and digitally altered content that unlawfully target his personal and professional reputation.
The petition identifies 26 online links containing the disputed material and seeks their immediate removal. The matter is scheduled to come up for hearing before Justice Arif S. Doctor of the Bombay High Court.
