The Bombay High Court on Wednesday directed the removal of deepfake and AI-generated videos and social media posts falsely linking Union Minister Nitin Gadkari to the Centre’s Ethanol Blended Petrol (E20) policy, holding the content to be per se defamatory.
A Single Judge Bench of Justice Arif Doctor ordered the immediate takedown of all content identified by Gadkari in his defamation suit and further directed that any similar content highlighted by him in the future should also be removed.
During the hearing, the Court also expressed concern over the absence of an effective mechanism for prompt removal of abusive and defamatory online content, observing that individuals are presently compelled to approach courts for relief.
Appearance:
For the Applicant/Plaintiff: Mr. Sandeep S. Ladda, with Ms. Shivani Khanwilkar, Mr. Ritesh Desai, Mr. Adesh Jadhav, Ms. Pragya Nawandar and Mr. Umang Patni, Advocates.
For Defendant No. 1: Mr. Rishabh Jaisani (through VC), with Mr. Harit Lakhani, Ms. Radhika Roy and Mr. Abhishek Mookherjee, instructed by Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas.
For Defendant No. 3: Mr. Ankit Tripathi, with Mr. Hardik Sampat and Ms. Reeti Shetty, instructed by Mr. Hardik Sampat.
For Respondent Nos. 4 & 5: Mr. Anil C. Singh, Additional Solicitor General, with Mr. Aditya Thakkar, Mr. D.P. Singh and Mr. Adarsh Vyas.