The Delhi High Court has passed an interim order safeguarding the personality rights of Bollywood actor Kajol. The court has restrained multiple entities from using her name, image, likeness, or other personal traits for commercial purposes, including the sale of merchandise. Additionally, it directed the immediate removal of obscene and pornographic material published against the actor.
The court also highlighted the growing concerns around artificial intelligence, stating that it would issue further directions to prevent misuse of Kajol’s identity through AI tools, including deepfakes. This move aligns with a series of recent judgments protecting public figures from unauthorized commercial exploitation of their identity.
In similar cases, the High Court has granted protection to several celebrities and public figures, including Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister and actor Pawan Kalyan, former cricketer Sunil Gavaskar, actors R Madhavan and NT Rama Rao Jr., as well as Bollywood stars Salman Khan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, and Abhishek Bachchan. Filmmaker Karan Johar and spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar have also benefitted from such orders.
The court has extended protection to digital content creators as well, issuing a John Doe order in favor of podcaster Raj Shamani, restraining unknown parties from misusing his name, image, or likeness in India’s growing digital space. The ruling reinforces the legal framework around personality rights and sets a precedent for protecting public figures from online and commercial exploitation in an era of AI-generated content.
