Delhi High Court Grants Ravi Kishan Interim Relief, Restrains AI, Deepfakes and Generative Tech Misusing His Identity
Landmark Personality Rights Order Directs Takedown of AI-Generated, Obscene and Misleading Content Across Digital Platforms
In a significant judgment reinforcing celebrity personality rights in the age of artificial intelligence, the Delhi High Court has granted interim protection to actor and BJP MP Ravi Kishan by restraining the unauthorized use of his name, image, voice, likeness and other personality attributes through Artificial Intelligence (AI), Generative AI, Machine Learning and deepfake technologies. The Court also directed the removal of objectionable online content allegedly exploiting his identity.
Justice Jyoti Singh passed the ex parte ad interim order while hearing a commercial suit filed by Ravi Kishan (Ravindra Shukla), who alleged that several websites, social media accounts and unidentified individuals had been misusing his identity to circulate fabricated videos, obscene content, fake statements and AI-generated material without his authorization.
The Court restrained all defendants, including unidentified “John Doe” parties, from using Ravi Kishan’s name, image, voice, likeness or any other identifiable aspect of his personality for commercial or personal gain through any medium. The prohibition expressly extends to emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Generative AI, Machine Learning and deepfakes across physical, digital and social media platforms.
Apart from restraining future misuse, the High Court ordered the removal of URLs allegedly carrying vulgar, obscene, pornographic and AI-generated content featuring Ravi Kishan. The defendants and concerned domain name registrars have been directed to take down the identified URLs within three days of receiving the order. If they fail to comply, intermediary platforms including Meta, Google and X have been directed to disable access to the content within 72 hours after being notified.
During the proceedings, Ravi Kishan argued that his identity had been exploited through fake videos mimicking his speech and appearance, manipulated social media posts, misleading promotional material and websites using his name to attract traffic to objectionable and pornographic content. He submitted that such misuse not only damaged his commercial interests but also harmed his personal reputation and dignity.
The High Court observed that Ravi Kishan has built considerable goodwill over more than three decades in cinema, television and public life, giving him exclusive rights over the commercial exploitation of his personality attributes. Relying on previous judicial precedents on personality and publicity rights, the Court held that unauthorized use of a celebrity’s identity infringes both commercial interests and the fundamental rights to privacy and dignity.
Justice Jyoti Singh further held that Ravi Kishan had established a prima facie case for interim protection, observing that the balance of convenience lay in his favour and that denial of relief would cause irreparable injury. Consequently, the Court granted an interim injunction pending further adjudication of the suit.
The case is being viewed as one of the most significant judicial interventions in India concerning the misuse of AI-generated content and deepfakes. With rapidly advancing generative technologies making it easier to create convincing fake videos, voices and images, the ruling underscores the judiciary’s growing emphasis on protecting personality rights against digital impersonation and unauthorized commercial exploitation.
The defendants have been directed to file their written statements within the prescribed period, while the matter will proceed before the Delhi High Court for further hearings on the interim injunction and related issues. Legal experts believe the decision is likely to serve as an important precedent in future disputes involving AI-generated content, deepfakes and digital personality rights in India.
