Nitin Gadkari Moves Bombay High Court (Img: Pinterest)
New Delhi: Union Minister Nitin Gadkari has filed a plea at the Bombay High Court against defamatory content on social media and a deepfake video that has maliciously linked the Union Minister and his family members to the Centre's E20 ethanol programme. The court has allowed him to file a civil case against Meta, social media portals, and others who are behind the content.
The case was heard by Justice Abhay Ahuja after Gadkari filed a petition under Clause XII of the Letters Patent, which is mandatory for any case where only part of the cause of action exists within the territorial jurisdiction of the court.
Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari has filed a defamation suit in the Bombay High Court over alleged AI deepfake videos and misleading social media posts related to the E20 ethanol blending policy. The court has admitted the petition and listed it for…
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Gadkari's lawyer Sandeep S. Ladda submitted before the court that the disputed content can be accessed in Mumbai and is for the benefit of people residing there but also available to others through the internet. The court has agreed with the submission and allowed Gadkari to file a civil suit.
As per the proposed lawsuit, multiple social media posts and edited video clips were posted that stated that Gadkari, along with his family, had reaped financial gains from the E20 ethanol blending project. According to the suit, the allegations in the posts are baseless, and the E20 ethanol blending scheme is under the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.
This development followed FIR registered by Nagpur police against four social media influencers accused of spreading misinformation about the E20 fuel program. Social media influencers in question are YouTuber-politician Manish Kashyap, Instagram handle Desi Boys, and influencers Harshit Rathi and Ankleash Invatee.
E20 fuel program, which is about increasing the ratio of ethanol blended with petrol, is a major component of India’s clean energy plan. Despite the government’s claim of the safety of E20 fuel for the compatible engine, E20 fuel program also received criticism.
