Delhi High Court grants interim relief to Kajol in personality rights case

The Delhi High Court has granted interim protection to Bollywood actor Kajol, restraining several entities from exploiting her personality and publicity rights without consent and directing the removal of objectionable material circulated in her name.

A single-judge bench led by Justice Jyoti Singh passed an ad-interim injunction in a suit filed by the actor, observing that a prima facie case had been established for safeguarding her identity from unauthorised commercial use.

The court barred the defendants from using Kajol’s photographs and other distinctive attributes to sell merchandise or derive commercial gain without her approval. It also ordered the immediate takedown of obscene and pornographic content allegedly published online using her name and likeness.

In its observations, the court emphasised that no individual or entity could commercially exploit the actor’s identity without her consent. It further noted that social media platforms and online intermediaries are obligated to act swiftly once notified of infringing content.

The judge indicated that a more detailed order would follow, specifically addressing concerns over the misuse of Kajol’s name, image, voice and other identifiable features through artificial intelligence tools and deepfake technology.

The plea had sought protection against the unauthorised sale of merchandise bearing her image as well as the circulation of morphed, defamatory and explicit material on the internet.

The ruling adds to a growing list of high-profile figures who have approached the Delhi High Court to protect their personality rights. In recent months, personalities including former India cricket captain Sunil Gavaskar, actors Jr NTR, Nagarjuna, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan, film-maker Karan Johar, spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and podcaster Raj Shamani have obtained similar court orders against the misuse of their identities or AI-generated imitations.

With IANS inputs