Bombay High Court Allows Nitin Gadkari to Sue Meta, X, Google Over Deepfakes
The Bombay High Court in Mumbai on Monday, July 27, 2026, granted Union Minister Nitin Gadkari permission to institute a civil suit against tech entities Meta Platforms, X Corp, Google LLC, and unidentified persons over allegedly defamatory deepfake and artificial intelligence-generated content circulated online in his name.
Justice Abhay Ahuja allowed the application filed by Gadkari seeking leave under Clause XII of the Letters Patent. Such specific permission is required when a part of the cause of action arises outside the territorial jurisdiction of the Bombay High Court, enabling the court to entertain the proposed civil suit against the defendants.
Appearing for Gadkari, advocate Sandeep Ladda argued before the court that the allegedly defamatory posts and AI-generated deepfake content are currently available to internet users in Maharashtra through the online platforms.
Ladda submitted that since the material can be accessed in the state, a substantial part of the cause of action arises within the territorial jurisdiction of the Bombay High Court. Accepting the submissions, Justice Ahuja granted Gadkari leave to file the suit.
In the proposed civil suit, Gadkari, the Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, has alleged that fake, AI-generated, and defamatory content relating to the ethanol-blended fuel programme has been uploaded and circulated online.
According to the plaint, unidentified persons have shared online posts and deepfake material falsely suggesting that Gadkari was personally responsible for the ethanol initiative. The shared content further falsely claimed that he and his family derived direct financial benefits from the ethanol initiative.
The proposed suit contends that these online allegations are false, malicious, and grossly defamatory, having been created to mislead the public and damage Gadkari's personal and public reputation.
Through the civil action, the Union Minister proposes to seek permanent injunctions restraining the publication and circulation of the allegedly false and fabricated content on the online platforms.
