The Delhi High Court has granted interim protection to actor Kriti Sanon against the unauthorised use of her name, image, likeness and voice, including through AI-generated obscene images, deepfakes, impersonation accounts and chatbots.

Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav passed the interim order on October 29 in Kriti Sanon v. BBE Marketing Inc. & Ors., restraining defendants from creating or circulating content impersonating the actor or falsely suggesting an association with her. The order also covers unauthorised merchandise using her name and image.

Sanon approached the Court alleging that accounts on YouTube, Facebook, X and Pinterest were falsely claiming to be her official representatives and circulating AI-generated, morphed and sexually suggestive content. The Court observed that she could not be faulted for approaching it after her complaints to intermediaries had gone unanswered.

The Court directed the takedown of identified webpages containing objectionable material and restrained further uploading or circulation of the flagged content. It also directed internet intermediaries to provide basic subscriber information and IP logs within three weeks and asked the concerned Central Government departments to issue orders blocking the offending websites.

The Court clarified that the injunction does not extend to news, reviews, criticism, commentary, satire, parody, caricature or fan expression. It cautioned against granting omnibus injunctions in personality rights cases, observing that such claims may involve distinct rights, including publicity, privacy, passing off, defamation and rights under the Trade Marks and Copyright Acts.

The Court noted that personality rights are available to every individual, while fame may affect the commercial value of identity and the loss caused by its misuse. It also observed that mere use of a person’s identity is not, by itself, unlawful.

The Court’s observations are prima facie, and it will examine at the next hearing whether merchandise in which a person’s image is itself the product falls within the right of publicity. The matter is listed for December 10, 2026.