Mumbai: Union Minister Nitin Gadkari has approached the Bombay High Court seeking legal action against social media posts, deepfake content and other online material allegedly linking him and his family to financial gains from the Centre’s E20 ethanol blending programme.
According to the civil suit filed before the High Court, the disputed content includes social media posts, manipulated images and AI-generated videos that allegedly spread false claims suggesting that Gadkari and his family benefited from the implementation of the E20 policy.
The petition contends that these allegations are baseless and points out that the ethanol blending programme is administered by the Union Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, not by the ministry headed by Gadkari.
The Bombay High Court has granted Gadkari permission to pursue the civil suit against Meta, other social media platforms and several unidentified individuals allegedly responsible for creating or circulating the defamatory content online.
The legal action comes amid heightened public debate over E20 petrol, with some social media users claiming that the higher ethanol blend has caused engine performance issues and damage to certain vehicles.
However, automobile manufacturers and government-backed testing agencies have consistently maintained that vehicles certified as E20-compatible are specifically designed and tested to operate safely on the fuel. They have attributed isolated complaints to factors such as fuel contamination, improper maintenance or mechanical issues rather than the ethanol blend itself.
The Centre has been actively promoting higher ethanol blending in petrol as part of its long-term strategy to reduce India’s dependence on crude oil imports, cut carbon emissions and boost domestic ethanol production using sugarcane and grain-based feedstocks.
The matter is expected to proceed before the Bombay High Court in the coming weeks.
