The Delhi High Court on Tuesday signaled that it will soon pass an order protecting actor Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s personality and publicity rights. The directive will restrict several parties from exploiting her name, photographs, or voice for commercial purposes without her approval.
Court indicates protection order
Justice Tejas Karia, who was presiding over the matter, also remarked that instructions would be issued to take down online links that infringe upon the actor’s identity.
“We’ll pass an order against each of the defendants (to take down the URLs), because prayers are broad. But we will grant injunctions separately,” Justice Karia noted during the proceedings.
Aishwarya Rai's legal plea
The case stems from a lawsuit filed by the former Miss World, who sought legal protection of her personal attributes—including her likeness, voice, and public persona. The plea, presented through advocates Pravin Anand and Dhruv Anand, alleged that multiple entities have been illegally profiting by using her identity for commercial ventures. It also claimed her images had been digitally altered and misused in explicit videos.
“Her name and image are being used to satisfy someone’s sexual desires,” argued senior advocate Sandeep Sethi, who represented Rai Bachchan.
Previous precedents in Bollywood
This is not the first time the Delhi High Court has intervened in matters concerning celebrity personality rights. In May last year, the court upheld the rights of Jackie Shroff, highlighting how unauthorized merchandise and distorted content featuring him were being circulated for financial gain.
Earlier, in 2023, the court issued an order preventing the misuse of Anil Kapoor’s name, image, and even his iconic “jhakaas” phrase. Similarly, in November 2022, it safeguarded Amitabh Bachchan’s persona from being misappropriated without consent.