In November 2022, the Delhi High Court set a new precedent by giving actor Amitabh Bachchan comprehensive relief for the misuse of his name, voice and likeness.
At the time, it seemed to be an isolated incident. The court recognized the urgent need to protect veteran actors from the “fake” Kaun Banega Crorepati scam that used his voice.
Three years later, the order has now snowballed to a series of similar orders reshaping the judicial response to digital impersonation, artificial intelligence (AI)-generated deepfakes, and commercial exploitation of famous personalities.
The threat of AI
The exponential rise of generative AI and deep-fark tools in recent years has enabled fraudulent users to use, produce or imitate celebrity personas.
The case of Anil Kapoor highlighted an extreme case of misuse. There, the actor was sued for his fake indecent videos and along with other actresses for his fake indecent videos.
Judge Pratiba M. Singh, dealing with Kapoor's case, said “the court cannot turn a blind eye to such misuse of his persona and other factors.”
“Father has its own flaws, and this case shows that reputation and fame can undermine a variety of rights of a person, including the right to live, the right to privacy, and the right to live with dignity within the social structure.
Recently, the stakes have been even higher for Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. The fake video using his portrait was circulated on social media and fraudulent websites, and misprinted it in favour of instant treatments for diabetes and bleeding Ayurvedic.
His petition described the damage as “double.” He undermined his credibility as a spiritual leader, misleading the public and misleading false and potentially harmful medical claims.
Furthermore, the court has also protected the character and publicity rights of actors, including Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan, Nagarjuna Akneni and Nagarjuna Akneni, recently.
“Not legal”
As AI-related threats to moral rights are a relatively recent phenomenon, Indian laws are not yet framed to regulate them.
Khaitan & Co is a corporate law firm. explained by Tanu Banerjee, a partner at Hindus“Indian moral rights have not yet been codified by a single law, but are increasingly recognized by judicial interpretations. They are drawn into the rights of privacy, intellectual property and unfair trade practices.”
What is noteworthy about these cases is how the courts expanded the existing constitutional and intellectual property framework to protect individuals.
In the case of Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, the Delhi High Court wrote:
Consequences of misuse
R. Rajagopalv, 1994. Stateof TN's ruling was well known as the “automatic Shankar case,” and the Supreme Court ruled against any form of misuse or commercial exploitation of celebrities' names.
“The citizen has the right to protect his privacy, including himself, his family, marriage, motherhood, childbirth, and education.
“If so, he would violate the privacy rights of those involved and be liable for the damages lawsuit,” he added.
The Delhi High Court is currently adopting this principle in the digital age. This principle allows AI to replicate faces and voices within minutes.
Who can seek protection?
The series of cases that came before HC involve individuality from all fields of acting and spirituality. It has not yet been tested in court, but Banerjee says, “Even individuals can seek protection against misuse of likeness.”
“The Indian court also held that such rights are granted rights after death to the legal heir or property manager,” she added.
“Free speech is protected.”
In the case of Anil Kapoor, the court said, “There is no doubt that freedom of speech regarding famous people is protected in the form of information, news, satire and authentic criticism.”
But he reminded me, “If the same thing crosses lines and causes discoloration, it would be illegal if it suggests or puts the individual's personality, or the attributes associated with that individual, that would be illegal.”
Published – October 6, 2025 01:36 AM IST
