The Delhi High Court has granted interim protection to actor Kajol Devgan, restraining unauthorised commercial use of her name, image, voice and likeness.
Justice Jyoti Singh directed multiple defendants not to use the actor’s identity to sell merchandise or for any commercial purpose without her consent. The court also ordered safeguards against misuse through artificial intelligence tools, including deepfakes and digitally altered content.
Action against obscene material
The High Court further directed the removal of pornographic and obscene material being circulated online in Kajol’s name. Senior advocate Pravin Anand appeared on behalf of the actor.
The petition comes amid rising concerns over the digital misuse of celebrity identities, particularly with the rapid growth of AI-driven content manipulation.
Growing focus on publicity rights
The court has recently extended similar protection to prominent figures such as Amitabh Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Nagarjuna, Ajay Devgn, Anil Kapoor, Abhishek Bachchan and digital creator Raj Shamani.
Through these rulings, the court reiterated that individuals have exclusive control over the commercial and digital exploitation of their persona. It also acknowledged the growing threat posed by deepfakes, voice cloning and synthetic visuals, observing that such misuse may infringe not only publicity rights but also dignity and privacy.
At the same time, the court clarified that legitimate satire, artistic expression, commentary and news reporting remain protected under law.