Daijiworld Media Network – Mumbai
Mumbai, Jul 27: The Bombay High Court on Monday granted Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari permission to file a civil suit against Meta Platforms, X Corp, Google LLC and unidentified persons over allegedly defamatory AI-generated content and deepfake posts circulated on online platforms.
Gadkari had approached the High Court by filing a leave petition under Clause XII of the Letters Patent, seeking the court's permission to institute the suit as part of the cause of action arose outside the territorial jurisdiction of the Bombay High Court.
Under the provision, such permission is required when a litigant seeks to file a civil suit in the High Court despite jurisdictional limitations, provided a substantial part of the cause of action has arisen within its jurisdiction.
The matter came up for hearing before Justice Abhay Ahuja.
Appearing for Gadkari, advocate Sandeep Ladda submitted that the allegedly defamatory content and deepfake videos had been made available on various online platforms and were accessible to users in Maharashtra. Since the material could be viewed in the state, a substantial part of the cause of action arose within the jurisdiction of the Bombay High Court, he argued.
Accepting the submissions, Justice Ahuja granted Gadkari permission to file the proposed civil suit against Meta Platforms, X Corp, Google LLC and other unidentified persons responsible for creating and circulating the content.
According to the proposed suit, several fake, AI-generated and defamatory posts relating to the government's ethanol-blended fuel programme have been uploaded and shared online.
The suit alleges that unknown individuals falsely portrayed Gadkari as being personally responsible for the programme and claimed that he and his family had derived financial benefits from it.
Gadkari contended that the allegations were entirely false, malicious and defamatory, and were intended to mislead the public and tarnish his reputation.
Through the civil suit, the Union minister intends to seek permanent injunctions restraining the online platforms and other parties from hosting or circulating the alleged defamatory and AI-generated content, along with appropriate legal relief against those responsible for creating and disseminating the material.