Delhi High Court Protects BJP MP Ravi Kishan’s Personality Rights Against AI and Deepfake Misuse
Court Grants Interim Injunction, Orders Takedown of Obscene and AI-Generated Content Misusing Actor-MP’s Identity Across Digital Platforms
In a landmark order addressing the growing misuse of artificial intelligence and deepfake technology, the Delhi High Court has granted interim protection to actor and BJP MP Ravi Kishan, restraining the unauthorized use of his name, image, voice, likeness and other personality attributes through AI, Generative AI, Machine Learning and deepfake technologies. The Court also directed the removal of objectionable content exploiting his identity across online platforms.
Justice Jyoti Singh passed an ex parte ad interim injunction in a commercial suit filed by Ravi Kishan (Ravindra Shukla), who alleged that unidentified individuals, websites and social media accounts had been misusing his identity by publishing AI-generated videos, fabricated statements, obscene reels, pornographic content and manipulated images without his consent. According to the suit, the unauthorized material caused serious harm to his reputation, privacy and commercial interests.
The High Court restrained all defendants, including unidentified “John Doe” parties, from using Ravi Kishan’s name, image, voice, likeness or any other identifiable personality attribute for commercial or personal gain. The injunction specifically extends to misuse through Artificial Intelligence, Generative AI, Machine Learning and deepfake technologies across all physical, virtual and social media platforms.
Recognising the urgency of the matter, the Court directed the identified defendants and domain name registrars to remove the infringing URLs within three days. It further ordered that if the content publishers failed to comply, major digital intermediaries, including Meta, Google LLC and X Corp., must disable access to the offending content within 72 hours of receiving notice.
During the proceedings, Ravi Kishan submitted that several websites had used his name to attract traffic to obscene and pornographic material, while AI-generated videos falsely mimicked his speech and appearance. The petition also alleged that fabricated social media posts and manipulated digital content were being circulated to mislead the public and commercially exploit his identity without authorization.
Justice Jyoti Singh observed that Ravi Kishan had established a prima facie case for interim protection. The Court held that the balance of convenience lay in his favour and that continued circulation of the impugned material would cause irreparable injury. Relying on earlier decisions protecting celebrity personality rights, the Court reiterated that unauthorized exploitation of a public figure’s identity infringes both commercial rights and the constitutional rights to privacy and dignity.
The order is among a series of recent Delhi High Court decisions strengthening judicial protection against AI-enabled impersonation and digital identity theft. Similar relief has been granted in recent months to several public figures seeking protection against deepfakes and unauthorized online exploitation of their personalities, reflecting the judiciary’s evolving approach to emerging technologies.
Legal experts believe the ruling represents another important milestone in India’s developing jurisprudence on personality rights. As generative AI tools become increasingly capable of creating realistic fake videos, voices and images, the judgment reinforces that technological innovation cannot be used to exploit an individual’s identity without consent or to circulate misleading and obscene content under the guise of digital creativity.
