E20 policy: Take down ‘defamatory’ AI videos about Nitin Gadkari, HC tells social media platforms
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The Bombay High Court on Wednesday directed social media platforms to take down artificial intelligence-generated deepfake videos linking Union minister Nitin Gadkari to a row about the government’s ethanol-blending programme, Live Law reported.
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Justice Arif Doctor ordered that the posts be removed, finding that the material Gadkari had cited in his suit was “per se defamatory”.
On July 27, Justice Abhay Ahuja of the High Court had allowed the road transport and highways minister to file a civil suit against technology firms Meta, Google and X for allegedly defamatory content being shared on their platforms linking him to the ethanol-blending programme.
The Union government has mandated that all petrol sold in the country be blended with 20% ethanol – a substance produced from sugarcane and food grain. The policy is aimed at reducing India’s dependency on fossil fuels, cutting greenhouse gas emissions and boosting income for sugarcane farmers.
The initiative has been criticised by vehicle owners who have alleged that E20 fuel was reducing mileage and damaging cars.
Gadkari, in his petition before the High Court, said that the E20 programme was being administered by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas and that he had no role in it.
He alleged that the social media content linking him to the programme consisted of “profane and abusive language” directed at him, which...