Bombay High Court Orders Takedown of Deepfake Content Targeting Nitin Gadkari

Bombay High Court has granted interim relief to Union Minister Nitin Gadkari in a defamation case related to deepfake content. The court ordered social media intermediaries, including Meta and YouTube, to remove allegedly defamatory content falsely linking Gadkari and his family to the Centre's E20 ethanol-blending programme.

The court described the content as 'vile and abusive' and observed that such material had no place on public platforms. The case involves AI-generated images and other fabricated content that has damaged Gadkari's reputation, according to his 86-page petition.

Gadkari argued that he has no role in formulating or implementing the Ethanol Blending Programme, which is administered by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas. He sought Rs 11 crore in damages and permanent injunctions directing the removal of manipulated videos, AI-generated images, face-swap videos, and deepfakes using his name, face, voice, and likeness without consent.