Bombay High Court Grants Interim Relief to Nitin Gadkari in Defamation Case

Court Orders Removal of Defamatory Content

On Wednesday, the Bombay High Court provided interim relief to Union Minister Nitin Gadkari. He had filed a lawsuit seeking the removal of defamatory and deepfake content linking him and his family to the government's E20 ethanol-blending initiative. Justice Arif Doctor instructed social media platforms and intermediaries to eliminate the offensive material against Gadkari. The case was brought against Meta, X, Google/YouTube, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, the Department of Telecommunications, and unidentified users referred to as 'Ashok Kumar/John Doe'. The court acknowledged that the content identified by Gadkari was indeed highly objectionable and damaging.

Concerns Over Offensive Content

One such transcript has appeared on an Instagram reel, among other content. The material that the petitioner wishes to remove is described as extremely poor and derogatory. There should be no space for such content on public platforms accessible to everyone, including the youth. The petitioner has made a case for interim relief. Meta and Google have appeared in court and agreed to remove the content specified in 'Exhibit C'. Their statements have been accepted, leading the court to order the removal of the content. Furthermore, if Gadkari encounters any similar content in the future, he can inform the relevant intermediary, who will then be required to take appropriate action. The court stated that if the petitioner discovers any additional defamatory content, they should notify the defendants, who will then act accordingly.

Future Proceedings and Content Management

The court also instructed Google and Meta to devise a method for removing objectionable content without requiring repeated court appearances. The next hearing for this case is scheduled for four weeks later. Gadkari has petitioned the court for a permanent and mandatory injunction to remove allegedly manipulated videos and images. The petition describes these as 'defamatory content' and 'deepfake content' generated by AI. According to the petition, this content falsely implicates him personally in the E20 program and suggests that he and his family have gained undue financial benefits from it.