The Delhi High Court on January 31, 2026 granted interim protection to MP Shashi Tharoor in his appeal against an alleged AI-generated deepfake video, confirming enforceable personhood and publicity rights to all aspects of his persona.
Justice Mini Pushkarna heard the case to protect Mr. Tharoor’s moral rights and reputation, finding the case prima facie in his favor and restraining unknown persons from using his identity to create and distribute synthetic media through artificial intelligence and related technologies.
The court ordered X Corp to remove certain links containing the alleged deepfake content and directed Meta to continue to prevent access to certain previously blocked Instagram URLs. It also directed platforms to disclose the identity of those who uploaded or created infringing content and details of their subscribers within three weeks.
The order followed a civil lawsuit filed by Tharoor seeking a permanent injunction against the misuse of his persona, voice, likeness and public image through AI-generated deepfake videos. Tharoor’s senior advocate Amit Sibal said the fabricated video allegedly used artificial intelligence to replicate the Congress leader’s face, voice, vocabulary and speaking style.
The petition argued that the doctored video falsely depicts Tharoor making politically sensitive statements, including praising Pakistan’s diplomatic strategy, causing serious damage to his credibility and social standing.
The court took note of submissions that Tharoor, a former UN Under-Secretary-General and former Foreign Minister, had established great goodwill and public trust over several decades.
The complaint states that the alleged deepfake emerged around March 2026 and continued to spread despite fact-checking by news outlets and independent organizations. Mehta’s lawyer informed the court that the Instagram URL cited in the complaint became inaccessible on the morning of January 30th.
In its interim findings, the court found that Mr. Tharoor’s reputation, likeability, name, physical appearance, image, likeness, voice, mannerisms, writing style, distinctive oratory style, and other attributes are uniquely identifiable, associated with him, and form part of his protected personality. The High Court also noted that moral rights and rights of publicity are protected under Articles 19 and 21 of the Constitution.
Pending further hearing, the court restrained defendant No. 1, identified as Ashok Kumar/John Doe, and his associates from copying or imitating any aspect of Tharoor’s persona, including name, image, voice, and manner of speaking, for the purpose of creating or distributing deepfakes, voice clone voices, or morphing videos through AI, generative AI, or machine learning techniques.
The court granted Tharoor the freedom to request the removal of additional similar content on social media while the case is pending. The suit issued a subpoena and directed the defendant to submit a written statement within 30 days. The matter was submitted to the Joint Registrar on July 13, 2026 and is expected to be before the Court on October 13, 2026.
