India's Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari Sues Meta, Google Over Defamatory Content

India's Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari has filed a lawsuit against major tech companies including Meta, alleging that defamatory content was broadcast on social media linking him to the country's ethanol blending program.

In the lawsuit filed in the Bombay High Court, Gadkari is seeking 110 million Indian rupees ($1.14 million) in damages, his office stated.

He stated that the content broadcast on social media falsely accused him of being personally responsible for the government's 'E-20' ethanol-blended petrol policy and that he and his family had financially benefited from it.

The Indian government is implementing the 'E-20' policy, which aims to reduce dependence on imported fuel and lower carbon emissions, by blending up to 20 percent ethanol in petrol. Various posts and videos have gone viral on social media against this policy. These materials claim that ethanol-blended petrol damages vehicle engines and increases repair costs for vehicles designed for lower ethanol blends.

Gadkari claims that the 'deepfake' content and videos broadcast against him are causing irreparable damage to his reputation.

Indian media reported that companies including Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, 'X Corp', and Google have been named as defendants in the lawsuit.

Meta has not yet responded to an AFP request for comment on Gadkari's lawsuit.

India is one of Meta's key markets in terms of the number of Facebook and Instagram users. The Indian government has also been expanding its regulation of social media platforms, directing these companies to remove objectionable content and comply with government directives.