E20 row: Nitin Gadkari seeks ₹11 crore in damages over abusive posts, AI deepfakes

In an 86-page suit centred on abusive posts and AI-generated deepfakes, Union minister Nitin Gadkari has told the Bombay High Court that online content falsely linking him and his family to the Centre’s E20 ethanol-blending programme and alleged corruption around it has attacked his reputation. According to India Today, Gadkari has said he has no role or nexus with the Ethanol Blending Programme or the E20 initiative, either as minister in charge or in any executive, statutory, regulatory or financial capacity.

Gadkari has moved the court against Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, X, formerly Twitter, Google/YouTube, the Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, the Department of Telecommunications, and unknown users described as Ashok Kumar/John Doe. He has sought permanent and mandatory injunctions for the takedown of allegedly manipulated videos and images described as AI-generated defamatory content and deepfake content, and has also sought damages of ₹11 crores from the defendants.

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The suit, filed through advocate Sandeep Laddha, traces the Ethanol Blending Programme to a 2003 Government of India policy to blend ethanol with petrol, which has been progressively expanded and is set to culminate in 20% blending, or E20, in the 2025-26 ethanol supply year.

Gadkari has pleaded that the EBP and E20 are conceived, formulated, administered and implemented by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, which issues the policy framework and press releases, and not by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. He has emphasised that the Minister for Road Transport and Highways is entirely distinct from the petroleum ministry and that E20 is administered by the latter.

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According to the suit, a series of posts, reels and videos have falsely blamed Gadkari personally for introducing or mandating E20 petrol and for alleged vehicle damage due to ethanol blends. It has alleged that the content insinuates that his family derived undue pecuniary benefits from E20, implying corruption, conflict of interest and abuse of office. The suit has argued that these imputations are false and amount to documentary falsity because they are directly contradicted by official records showing that the programme is run by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas. Gadkari has further contended that viral reels, memes and fabricated quotes have crossed the line from political criticism into targeted defamation.

Gadkari has stated that he does not seek to curb fair, just and bona fide criticism of policy or his public life. However, he has contended that much of the content under challenge consists of profane and abusive language and fabricated quotes and visuals, which he says fall outside the ambit of legitimate political criticism or satire regardless of whether the underlying policy critique is true. The suit points to 26 links containing face-swap videos, AI-generated images and cartoons that allegedly use his name, face, voice and mannerisms without consent, and seeks protection of his personality rights. It claims that these amount to unauthorised commercial and digital appropriation of his identity, infringing his personality and publicity rights. Laddha is set to argue the matter before the bench of Justice Arif S Doctor on Tuesday.

The suit places Gadkari’s denial of any role in the E20 policy at the centre of the case, seeks the removal of content that allegedly defames him and his family, and asks for damages while pressing his claim that the ethanol-blending programme is administered solely by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.