Bombay HC Adjourns Gadkari's ₹11 Crore Deepfake Defamation Suit to August 5

The Bombay High Court on Tuesday adjourned the hearing of Union Minister Nitin Gadkari's defamation suit against Meta, X, Google, and unidentified persons over allegedly defamatory deepfake content circulated on social media. The court will now hear the case on August 5.

Justice Arif Doctor directed the minister's advocate, Sandeep S. Ladda, to serve copies of the civil suit to all respondents and adjourned the matter. Mr. Gadkari has sought damages of ₹11 crore, alleging that the viral content has tarnished his reputation by falsely linking him to the Centre's Ethanol Blending Programme (EBP).

The single-judge bench of Justice Abhay Ahuja on Monday noted the background of the case, observing that the EBP was introduced in 2003 as a national policy aiming to blend ethanol with petrol in phases. Between 2025 and 2026, the government achieved 20% blending (E20). The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas oversees the policy and has issued press releases and clarifications on its implementation.

Mr. Gadkari, who has been the Union Minister of Road Transport since 2014, stated that he has no role in the E20 policy. He alleged that unknown users created and circulated AI-generated deepfake and defamatory content, falsely portraying him as responsible for the EBP. The plea identifies 24 social media posts that allegedly defame Mr. Gadkari and link him to the E20 controversy.

The Union Minister urged the court to order the removal of the posts and sought ₹11 crore in damages for the alleged harm caused to his reputation. Deepfake technology, which uses artificial intelligence to create realistic but fake videos or audio, has raised concerns about misinformation and defamation in India. The case highlights the legal challenges posed by emerging technologies and the need for robust mechanisms to address online defamation.