Bombay HC orders Meta, YouTube to remove Gadkari deepfakes over E20 row

In a significant order against the spread of AI-generated misinformation, the Bombay High Court on Wednesday directed social media intermediaries, including Meta, YouTube, Google and X, to take down deepfakes, AI-generated images, videos and other online posts that falsely linked Union Minister Nitin Gadkari and his family to the E20 fuel programme.

Granting interim relief to Gadkari in his defamation suit, Justice Arif Doctor observed that the material placed before the court appeared to be 'vile' and 'abusive', and was prima facie defamatory. The court ordered the intermediaries to remove the URLs identified by the minister and also directed them to act on any similar content that may be brought to their notice in the future.

The High Court said that if Gadkari identifies fresh defamatory posts, deepfakes or AI-generated content targeting him, he may notify the concerned intermediaries, who will then be required to take appropriate action in accordance with the law.

Gadkari approached the High Court alleging that fabricated videos, manipulated images and misleading social media posts falsely claimed that he and his family had benefited financially from the government's E20 fuel initiative.

According to his plea, the content sought to portray him as the driving force behind the policy while making baseless allegations of personal gain.

The minister argued that the Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) programme, including the rollout of E20 fuel, falls under the jurisdiction of the Union Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas and not the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, which he heads.

He maintained that he has no role in formulating or implementing the policy and that the allegations were entirely false.

The civil suit names Meta Platforms, Google LLC, YouTube, X Corp and unidentified individuals responsible for creating or circulating the allegedly defamatory material as respondents.

The proceedings began last month after the High Court permitted Gadkari to institute the suit. Following submissions from the parties, the court on Wednesday granted interim protection and ordered the immediate removal of the identified content.

The order adds to a growing body of judicial interventions addressing AI-generated deepfakes and online misinformation, while underscoring the responsibility of digital platforms to respond to complaints involving allegedly defamatory synthetic content.