The Bombay High Court on Monday granted Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari permission to file a civil suit over the alleged circulation of defamatory and AI-generated deepfake content targeting him on the internet.
Justice Abhay Ahuja allowed Gadkari's plea seeking leave under Clause XII of the Letters Patent, a procedural requirement that enables the High Court to entertain a civil suit on its original side when part of the cause of action arises outside its territorial jurisdiction.
Appearing for Gadkari, advocate Sandeep S Ladda argued that the disputed content was accessible to users in Mumbai, giving the Bombay High Court jurisdiction to hear the matter, while also being available nationwide on online platforms, necessitating leave under Clause XII. The court granted the request after brief submissions. A detailed order is awaited.
The order paves the way for Gadkari to institute a substantive civil suit against Meta, X Corp, Google LLC, YouTube, unidentified "John Doe" entities, and government authorities, including the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and the Department of Telecommunications.
According to the proposed suit, unknown persons circulated social media posts, videos, and AI-generated deepfake content falsely portraying Gadkari as personally responsible for the government's ethanol blending programme and E20 fuel policy, and alleging that he and his family had financially benefited from it.
The plea describes the allegations as false, malicious and defamatory, contending that they were intended to create the misleading impression that Gadkari misused his public office for private gain, thereby damaging his reputation and personality rights.
Gadkari has sought permanent and mandatory injunctions directing the removal of the disputed content. The plaint, however, clarifies that the action is not intended to curb fair criticism or bona fide public debate, but is aimed only at what it describes as defamatory allegations and AI-manipulated content that cross the limits of lawful speech.