Bombay High Court slams 'vile' deepfakes against Gadkari, orders immediate takedown by Meta, X, Google

The Bombay High Court on Wednesday described social media posts targeting Union minister Nitin Gadkari as "completely vile, abusive, obscene and defamatory" and ordered their immediate takedown, granting interim relief to the minister in a suit against Meta, X Corp and Google LLC.

A single bench of Justice Arif Doctor directed the three platforms to ensure the offending posts were taken down forthwith, observing that such content had no place online where it could be accessed by everyone, particularly younger users.

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The court also pressed the platforms on why they lacked a mechanism to remove such posts without requiring court intervention. Justice Doctor asked why, despite the technology available to them, the platforms did not have automated triggers to flag and delete abusive content immediately, remarking that the material in question amounted to someone "spewing venom."

The bench said platforms ought to take down such posts voluntarily and called for a mechanism that would allow this without forcing affected individuals to approach court each time. It further directed that if similar posts, including deepfakes or AI-generated material, surface in future, Gadkari may approach the platforms directly, and they shall act on such requests.

The matter has been posted for further hearing after four weeks, by when the respondents are required to file their affidavits in reply to the minister's plea.

Gadkari had filed the suit last week against Meta, X Corp, Google LLC and unknown persons over what he called defamatory deepfakes and AI-generated posts linked to the ethanol-blending policy. In the plea, filed through advocate Sandeep Ladda, the minister sought immediate takedown of all fake and fabricated content, a permanent injunction against further circulation of such posts, and Rs 11 crore in damages.

The plea alleged that unknown persons had uploaded and circulated deepfake content falsely portraying Gadkari as personally responsible for the ethanol-blending programme, and claiming that he and his family had financially benefited from it — allegations the suit said had caused irreparable harm to his reputation and personality rights. The claims made in the posts were "false, malicious and grossly defamatory without an iota of doubt," the suit stated, alleging they were designed to create a misleading public perception of the minister.

Also read: E20 fuel protests: Why India's ethanol-blended petrol policy is under fire

Gadkari's plea noted that the ethanol-blending programme and the E20 policy fall under the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, not under his personal charge. It clarified that the suit was not intended to stifle fair public debate or bona fide comment, but argued that the posts in question amounted to reckless and defamatory allegations that crossed the line of lawful speech.

(With inputs from PTI)