The Bombay High Court on Monday allowed Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari to file a civil defamation suit against Meta, X Corp (formerly Twitter), Google LLC and other digital platforms over allegedly defamatory posts and AI-generated deepfake content circulating on social media. The content allegedly linked Gadkari and his family to profits from the Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) programme and the E20 fuel initiative.

A single-judge bench of Justice Abhay Ahuja granted permission to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader to institute the civil suit. The order also allows Gadkari to seek interim relief and request a temporary injunction against the alleged defamatory material and deepfake content. According to the plea, the content falsely associates him with the EBP programme and the E20 initiative.

The Ethanol Blended Petrol programme (EBP) started in 2014 to reduce India's dependence on crude oil imports. The programme expanded rapidly from 2021. It gradually increased the blending of ethanol, produced from sugarcane, rice and maize, with petrol. India achieved the target of 20 per cent ethanol blending, known as E20, in 2025, five years ahead of the original schedule.

Gadkari filed the plea through advocate Sandeep S. Ladda. The petition states that defamatory content involving the Union Minister has appeared on digital platforms owned, operated or administered by Meta, X Corp and Google. The plea says the material remains publicly accessible and continues to circulate widely across social media platforms.

The petition further alleges that the platforms have allowed the content to remain available to the public. It accuses several individuals of deliberately creating and spreading false, abusive and misleading material about Gadkari. The petition states, “The defendants have intentionally made such content available to the public at large. These individuals are directly responsible for circulating malicious, false, derogatory, and abusive content concerning the petitioner, including posts, tweets, reels, videos, photographs or any other digital or electronic material using AI-generated deepfake, morphed, manipulated or otherwise fabricated audio-visual content simulating the Petitioner's name, image, and likeness, without his knowledge, consent or authorisation”.

The plea also sought permission from the High Court under Clause XII of the Letters Patent Act, 1866. Gadkari requested approval to institute the suit against the defendants and seek interim orders directing the removal of the allegedly offensive content from the platforms.

The legal action follows a complaint filed last month by BJP Nagpur City Social Media Cell Convener Shishir Arun Tripathi. The complaint alleged that several videos and social media posts made baseless and objectionable claims about Gadkari and the E20 fuel programme. It stated that the content had the potential to mislead the public, create confusion among citizens and disturb public peace.

After examining the digital evidence submitted with the complaint, the police registered a First Information Report (FIR). The case includes charges under Sections 356, 352 and 296 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, along with Section 67 of the Information Technology Act, 2000. The FIR targets people accused of posting the alleged deepfake videos and defamatory content against the Union Minister.

The case comes at a time when the E20 fuel policy continues to face criticism. The policy promotes blending 20 per cent ethanol with petrol to reduce fuel imports and lower vehicle emissions. Some vehicle owners have expressed concerns about using E20 fuel, particularly in vehicles manufactured before 2023. They have questioned its compatibility with older models.

Despite the criticism, Gadkari has consistently defended the ethanol-blending programme. Earlier this month, he challenged critics to present evidence of any vehicle facing problems due to E20 fuel. Speaking on the issue, he said, “There is no case of any car facing issues due to E20 petrol. Has there been any car in the country that faced issues due to the use of E20 petrol? Just name one”.

Even before Gadkari approached the High Court, cases had already been registered in Maharashtra against several content creators accused of spreading misinformation about him. According to news agency ANI, the complaint filed in Nagpur referred to a YouTube video uploaded on July 3, 2026, by content creator Manish Kasyap. It also named social media accounts including 'Desi Boys', 'Harshit Rathi' and 'Anklesh Inwati'.

The complaint alleged that these videos and posts spread baseless and objectionable claims about Gadkari and E20 fuel. It claimed the content could mislead the public, create confusion among citizens and disturb peace. BJP Nagpur City Social Media Cell Convener Shishir Arun Tripathi filed the complaint.

Meanwhile, attention on social media has shifted in recent weeks. Reports note that public discussion over the alleged NEET paper leak reduced after Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned. During the same period, Gadkari has emerged as a major target of online criticism. A social media account called 'E20 Janta Party' has gained significant attention on X. The account draws comparisons with the 'Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)', which started as a satirical online campaign and later became associated with a large student protest movement in Delhi. The latest legal action now places the focus on the growing use of AI-generated content, misinformation and deepfakes on social media platforms.