Story perspectives

India’s Gadkari Sues Meta, X, Google Over E20 Deepfakes

7/27/2026

Summary

Gadkari Files Suit

India’s Minister for Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari secured High Court permission, granted by Justice Abhay Ahuja, to file a suit.
The suit names Meta, X Corp, Google, YouTube and “John Doe” users, alleging deepfake posts link Gadkari’s family to the E20 ethanol programme and seeking INR11 crore damages.
He says E20 is overseen by the Ministry and notes the suit follows a Nagpur FIR against four influencers for spreading E20 misinformation.

Summary

Gadkari Defends E20

Gadkari challenged critics on X, demanding they name a single car harmed by E20 and said no vehicle has been affected.
In July, a Nagpur FIR targeted YouTube creator Manish Kasyap and accounts “Desi Boys,” “Harshit Rathi,” and “Anklesh Inwati” for allegedly spreading misinformation about the ethanol program after BJP convener Shishir Arun Tripathi filed the grievance.
Some owners of older cars have complained of performance loss with E20 fuel.

History

Historical Context

In September 2015 the U.S. EPA exposed Volkswagen’s defeat-device software, leading to a 2016 settlement that forced the automaker to pay a $2.8 billion criminal fine. That high-profile enforcement showed how regulators can punish corporate deception affecting environmental standards. Building on this precedent, India’s transport minister Nitin Gadkari sued Meta, Google and X in 2024 over deep-fake posts that misrepresented the E20 ethanol programme.

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Gadkari Files Suit

India’s Minister for Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari secured High Court permission, granted by Justice Abhay Ahuja, to file a suit.
The suit names Meta, X Corp, Google, YouTube and “John Doe” users, alleging deepfake posts link Gadkari’s family to the E20 ethanol programme and seeking INR11 crore damages.
He says E20 is overseen by the Ministry and notes the suit follows a Nagpur FIR against four influencers for spreading E20 misinformation.

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