Bombay High Court allows Gadkari suit over AI deepfakes

The Bombay High Court granted permission on Monday, July 27, 2026, for Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari to file a civil defamation suit against major technology companies and unidentified individuals over alleged AI-generated deepfake content. The suit targets Meta, Google, X, and others for the circulation of posts that Gadkari claims falsely link him and his family to financial gains from the government's E20 ethanol-blended petrol policy.

Justice Abhay Ahuja granted the procedural leave required under Clause XII of the Letters Patent, which applies when part of the cause of action in a case arises outside the court's territorial jurisdiction. Gadkari's legal team argued that the disputed content, while accessible globally, is also available to users in Mumbai, giving the Bombay High Court grounds to hear the case. The court's decision allows Gadkari to formally institute the substantive civil suit, which will be listed before an appropriate bench in due course. The court has not yet examined the merits of the allegations.

In his proposed suit, Gadkari seeks damages of 11 crore rupees and injunctions to stop the circulation of what he describes as...