Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora passed the interim order while hearing Devgn’s suit seeking protection of personality and publicity rights.
The Delhi High Court on Thursday ordered the removal of an obscene AI-generated deepfake video of actor Ajay Devgn depicting an inappropriate scenario with a female celebrity, terming such content unacceptable and harmful. Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora was hearing Devgn’s suit seeking protection of personality and image rights and passed an interim order.
However, the court has so far refused to direct the removal of general content or fan posts featuring Devgn’s images. The court emphasized the need to distinguish between malicious deepfakes and harmless fan activity, stating, “Fan pages must be given some leeway. Fans must be given this much freedom.” Otherwise, he must completely erase his footprints. ”
Senior Advocate Pravin Anand, who is representing Devgan, has flagged multiple listings on Amazon and other e-commerce sites where unauthorized posters, T-shirts and caps using Devgan’s name and face are being sold. However, the court noted that the suit has multiple causes of action, and that it may not be practical to treat them all together at this stage. There continued to be a huge focus on deepfakes. Anand informed the court that a YouTuber was distributing an AI-generated offensive and obscene video that portrayed Devgn in a false and harmful context.
During the hearing, Justice Arora questioned why YouTube was not approached first and said, “Did you register a protest with YouTube beforehand? We will grant relief now, but in future petitions such protests will have to be filed first.”
The court declined to permanently remove all content, including Devgn’s images, but said deepfakes and pornographic content deserved immediate removal. In contrast, mere copies of photographs cannot be removed unilaterally. The court issued a subpoena to the defendants and directed the designated online platforms to provide basic subscriber information for the accounts in question within two weeks as formal parties.
The matter will next be heard by the Joint Registrar on December 26, and then by the court in 2026. According to the plaintiff, the actor submitted that several entities and unidentified persons are exploiting various aspects of his personality without his consent for commercial gain. The complaint describes widespread violations through impersonation, fake booking platforms, unauthorized posters and merchandise, and AI-generated videos and images depicting him in false, inappropriate, or sexually explicit contexts, resulting in reputational harm.
The plaintiffs detail how websites such as The Artists Planet allegedly used Devgn’s name and photo to offer paid “appearances” without his permission. Multiple sellers on platforms such as Amazon, Meesho, and Redbubble are accused of selling posters, T-shirts, caps, and other merchandise featuring Devgn’s image and trademark name. Delhi HC orders deletion of obscene deepfake targeting Ajay Devgn.
Ajay Devgn has emerged as the only Indian actor to have led the most successful film series. Each series showcases a different genre, from action-packed dramas to light-hearted comedies and romantic stories. As the franchise movie trend continues to dominate globally, Devgn has always been at the forefront and continues to deliver hit after hit.
With each new work, he builds up anticipation and fans look forward to seeing how his character evolves.
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