The Bombay High Court has ordered the immediate removal of all online posts targeting Union Minister Nitin Gadkari over the Indian government’s ethanol-blended petrol policy. Dictating the order on Wednesday, the court described the flagged content as "vile, obscene, abusive and derogatory" and directed tech companies Meta, Google LLC, and X Corp to take down the material without delay.
Presiding over the matter, Justice Doctor questioned representatives for the digital platforms on why automated mechanisms were not already in place to flag and remove such content automatically. The court noted that with the advanced technology available to these companies, trigger systems should automatically detect and delete vulgar, abusive, or venomous material without requiring affected individuals to seek judicial intervention.
The court also ruled that if similar material — including artificial intelligence-generated deepfakes or manipulated media — is uploaded in the future, the minister may approach the platforms directly, which must then act swiftly to remove it. The matter has been adjourned for four weeks to allow the respondent companies time to file their reply affidavits.
The ruling comes shortly after the High Court granted Gadkari permission to file a civil suit and seek an interim injunction against the tech platforms over defamatory posts and deepfake content targeting him and his family. The plea, filed through advocate Sandeep S Ladda, highlighted that various individuals had deliberately circulated fabricated audio-visual content, tweets, reels, and videos using the minister’s name, image, and likeness without authorization.
According to the petition, the online posts falsely accused Gadkari of personally orchestrating the E20 ethanol-blended petrol programme for personal financial gain, alleging that he and his family had improperly profited from the initiative. The plea stated that these baseless claims caused him irreparable harm to his public image and right to dignity.
The Union Minister continues to be under pressure both politically and from the consumer regarding the nationwide implementation of E20 fuel owing to the apprehensions regarding the possibility of engine damage in old cars. Gadkari has been very clear in refuting these claims, stating that E20 policy is based on extensive testing and consultation.
Also read: Nitin Gadkari moves Bombay HC against viral E20 claims
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