Bombay HC orders Meta, X and Google to remove posts on Gadkari

The Bombay High Court on Wednesday granted interim relief to Union minister Nitin Gadkari, ordering Meta, X and Google to immediately remove all the “vile, abusive, obscene and defamatory” social media posts targeting him.

A single-judge bench of Justice Arif Doctor issued the direction while hearing a civil defamation suit filed by the Minister for Road Transport and Highways challenging a series of AI-generated deepfake videos and manipulated digital posts that falsely alleged Gadkari



and his family received illegal financial benefits from the Centre’s ethanol-blended petrol (E20) initiative.

“These posts, on the face of it, are abusive, vile and obscene,” Justice Doctor said, adding, “The material, on the face of it, is absolutely vile and abusive. Such material should have no place on a public platform, which is accessible to everyone, including the younger generation.” The bench directed Meta, X Corp and Google LLC to ensure forthwith that the posts are taken down.