The Bombay High Court has granted significant relief to Union Road Transport and Highways Minister *Nitin Gadkari* by directing Meta, X, and Google to remove allegedly defamatory and offensive posts circulating against him on social media and online platforms. The Court observed that content which is abusive, obscene, and defamatory should not be allowed to remain accessible on digital platforms.
The matter was heard by a single bench of *Justice Arif Doctor*, who remarked that the posts challenged in the petition appeared to be offensive, vulgar, and defamatory on their face. The Court emphasized that social media platforms carry a responsibility to ensure that such material does not remain available, particularly when it can be viewed by young users.
During the hearing, the Court questioned the technology companies about their ability to detect harmful content. It asked whether platforms equipped with advanced technology and artificial intelligence could not develop systems capable of identifying and removing clearly objectionable material without unnecessary delay.
The Court further observed that if users upload obscene, abusive, or defamatory content, online intermediaries should act promptly instead of waiting for prolonged legal proceedings. It stated that digital platforms should have stronger internal mechanisms to deal with such content.
The bench also directed that if similar posts targeting Gadkari appear in the future, he may notify the concerned platforms directly, following which they would be expected to remove the content in accordance with the Court's directions.
The Court added that online platforms should eventually create an effective system that enables them to detect and remove clearly defamatory material without requiring affected individuals to approach the courts every time. The next hearing in the matter has been scheduled after four weeks.
Gadkari filed the petition alleging that several posts relating to the *E20 fuel policy* and the ethanol-blending programme falsely claimed that he was personally responsible for the policy and that he and his family had received financial benefits from it. He denied the allegations and sought *₹11 crore in damages* for defamation.
The petition also stated that the ethanol-blending programme and the E20 policy are administered by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, making the allegations against Gadkari personally misleading and factually incorrect.
.jpeg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
-1783504412913_v.webp)
.webp)
.jpeg)
