Daijiworld Media Network - Mumbai
Mumbai, Aug 5: The Bombay High Court on Wednesday directed the immediate removal of online posts targeting Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, describing them as "vile, obscene, abusive and defamatory" amid the controversy surrounding the E20 fuel programme.
Justice Arif Doctor, hearing the matter, granted interim relief to Gadkari and directed Meta, X Corp and Google LLC to take down the posts in question without delay.
Observing that the content was prima facie abusive and defamatory, the court also questioned the social media platforms on whether they had mechanisms to proactively identify and remove such material without requiring affected individuals to approach the courts.
"With all this technology at your disposal, don't you have some mechanism where there should be triggers? If someone uploads something vulgar or abusive, it should immediately be picked up and deleted. This is absolutely vile. Someone is just spewing venom," the judge observed.
The court further directed that if similar content, including AI-generated deepfakes or manipulated material, is uploaded in the future, Gadkari may directly approach the platforms, which should act promptly to remove it.
The matter has been posted for further hearing after four weeks, by which time the respondents have been directed to file their replies.
The order comes days after the Bombay High Court permitted Gadkari to file a civil suit against Meta, X Corp, Google LLC and other platforms over alleged defamatory posts and AI-generated deepfake content targeting him and his family.
In his petition, filed through advocate Sandeep S. Ladda, Gadkari alleged that defamatory content, including posts, videos, photographs and AI-generated deepfakes using his name and likeness without consent, had been widely circulated on social media platforms.
The petition claimed that unknown individuals falsely portrayed him as being personally responsible for the Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) programme and alleged that he and his family had financially benefited from the E20 initiative.
According to the petition, the content caused irreparable damage to Gadkari's reputation and personality rights.
The controversy relates to the rollout of E20 fuel, which has faced criticism from Opposition parties and some consumer groups. They have alleged that the fuel could damage engines and may not be suitable for older vehicles designed for lower ethanol blends.
Gadkari has consistently rejected the allegations, maintaining that E20 fuel does not harm vehicle engines and stating that the programme was introduced only after extensive consultations and testing involving automobile manufacturers, component makers and testing agencies.