Mohit Singh
Bollywood actress Kriti Sanon has approached the Delhi High Court seeking protection of her personality rights against the alleged unauthorised use of her name, image, likeness and other identity attributes, including through artificial intelligence-generated content and digital impersonation.
The matter came up for hearing on Friday before a single-judge bench of Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav. The actress was represented by Advocate Pravin Anand, who argued that personality rights cover aspects of an individual’s identity, including their image and voice.
The court, however, chose to take a broader look at the subject before passing any order. Justice Kaurav asked Anand to explain what all falls within the parameters of personality rights, and directed him to file a compilation of relevant judgments, research papers and other material on the legal issues surrounding them.
“Can you give me some research paper? Please give a compilation…. Give me judgments and your understanding regarding personality rights,” the court observed, adding that a comprehensive order would be passed after perusing the material placed before it.
Court seeks wider legal clarity
According to reports, the judge noted that personality rights matters are being brought before the court frequently and said the legal issues required a wider examination beyond the facts of Sanon’s case alone. Anand was also asked to explain the contours of personality rights, the attributes of an individual that may receive legal protection, and whether such disputes fall within the purview of the High Court’s Intellectual Property Division.
Responding to the court, Anand submitted that personality rights include a person’s voice, face, image, or a photograph or video of someone’s face, as well as the individual’s name. He added that these rights also cover commercialisation using someone’s face for monetary gains without consent or authorisation.
Anand told the court that the compilation would be filed during the day and submitted that there was no jurisdictional issue involved in Sanon’s case. The matter has now been listed for further hearing on October 29.
Part of a growing wave of suits
Sanon’s suit is among several personality rights cases currently being heard together by the Delhi High Court, reflecting growing judicial attention to the unauthorised use of public figures’ identities, particularly in commercial promotions and online content.
In a connected suit filed by actor Janhvi Kapoor, Justice Anup Jairam Bhambhani refused a blanket injunction against nearly 6,884 URLs, confining interim relief to obscene content. In actor Meenakshi Chaudhary’s suit, the court granted protection only against sexually explicit content and asked for proof that anyone was actually making money from her image. In actor Rakesh Bedi’s suit, also before Justice Kaurav, the court observed that it must “draw some line” on how personality rights and publicity rights overlap.
The High Court has in recent months protected or considered the personality rights of several public figures, including actors Kangana Ranaut, Tabu, Vijay Deverakonda, Allu Arjun, Mohanlal, Kajol, R Madhavan, Jr NTR, singer Jubin Nautiyal, former cricketer Sunil Gavaskar, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor and Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan. A similar suit has also been filed by actor Salman Khan.
Why personality rights matter for celebrities
Personality rights — also known as publicity rights — protect a person from the unauthorised commercial exploitation of their identity. For celebrities, this has become particularly relevant as names, images and voices are used in fake endorsements, AI-generated imitations, deepfakes and digital impersonation to promote products or generate revenue without permission.
The rise of generative AI has made it easier to create convincing fake content featuring public figures, prompting a steady stream of litigation from actors, sportspersons, musicians and other personalities seeking to control how their identities are used online.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are personality rights?
Personality rights refer to the right of an individual to control the commercial use of their identity — including their name, image, likeness, voice, photographs and videos. They prevent others from exploiting a person’s identity for monetary gains without consent or authorisation.
Why has Kriti Sanon moved the Delhi High Court?
Sanon has approached the court seeking protection of her personality rights against the alleged unauthorised use of her name, image, likeness and other identity attributes, including through AI-generated content and digital impersonation.
What did the court say during the hearing?
Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav asked her counsel, Advocate Pravin Anand, to file a compilation of relevant judgments and research material on personality rights, noting that such matters come before the court frequently and require a wider legal examination. The matter will next be heard on October 29.
Which other celebrities have sought similar protection?
The Delhi High Court has protected the personality rights of public figures including Kangana Ranaut, Tabu, Vijay Deverakonda, Allu Arjun, Kajol, R Madhavan, Jr NTR, Jubin Nautiyal, Sunil Gavaskar and Salman Khan, among others.
