Digital News Guru New Delhi Desk:
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s Push for Personality Rights
Bollywood actor Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has recently moved to the Delhi High Court seeking legal relief to stop the unauthorized use of her name, likeness, image, and persona. Her petition addresses troubling misuse of digital technologies—especially AI-generated / morphed content—and fake commercial associations that exploit her fame without her permission. The case is being watched closely, as it could set important precedent on how Indian law protects personality/publicity rights in the digital age.
What’s the Case About
- Petitioner: Aishwarya Rai Bachchan approached the Delhi High Court seeking legal protection of her personality rights (also called publicity rights) — specifically to curb unauthorized use of her name, image, likeness and persona.
- Defendants / Issues raised:
- Websites, digital platforms, and commercial entities allegedly using her images/name without permission — on merchandise like mugs, T-shirts, etc.
- Circulation of morphed, obscene, and/or AI-generated images of her, including intimate or fake photographs, which she says are being used without her consent and sometimes for commercial gain.
- A specific company called “Aishwarya Nation Wealth” is reported to have falsely listed her as chairperson in its documents. She says she had no involvement with this entity.
Court’s Response
- Judge: Justice Tejas Karia presided over the case.
- The court has indicated that it is favorable to granting injunctions against such unauthorized misuse of Aishwarya’s name/image/persona.
- It has also noted the breadth of the reliefs sought (i.e. many different defendants, many different types of misuse), and so has suggested that orders might need to be issued separately against different defendants — although a common / centralized order may be considered if possible.
- Hearing dates:
- Further proceedings before the Joint Registrar are set for November 7, 2025.
- Substantive hearing before the court is scheduled for January 15, 2026
What the Interim Order / Relief Is
- The High Court has already granted interim relief. This means that until the full hearing, certain actions must be taken to prevent ongoing misuse. Specifically:
- Removal / take-down of unauthorised content featuring Aishwarya’s name, image, persona.
- Restraining platforms/entities from continuing to use her likeness or name in ways she has not authorised.
Legal Issues at Stake
- Personality / Publicity Rights in India
While copyright law is well established in India, publicity or personality rights (i.e. the right of a public figure to control commercial use of their identity) have not always had a fully codified or consistently litigated status. This case pushes for stronger recognition of those rights, particularly with new technology complicating the terrain. - AI, Deepfakes, Morphing & Digital Manipulation
The core technical challenge here is how to handle misuse of a celebrity’s likeness using AI, including deepfake pornographic or manipulated images. These can be created and distributed easily, raising questions of jurisdiction, enforcement, false identity, severe reputational harm, and how to define “intimate / obscene / pornographic” content among large volumes of internet material. - Right to Dignity, Privacy, and Reputation
The petition frames some of the misuse as violating her right to dignity (garima), reputation, and privacy. Indian courts have recognized these under constitutional law (Article 21 etc.). The harm isn’t only commercial but personal and social. - Commercial Exploitation & Fraud
Entities using her name or image to sell products, or falsely associating her as a business figurehead, are allegedly misleading persons and profiting wrongly. These claims invoke not only personality rights but also consumer protection, trademark or unfair trade practices, possibly defamation or fraud. - Scope of Relief & Enforcement
The kind of relief being sought—interim injunctions, takedown of content / URLs, blocking, deactivation—brings up enforcement challenges: how quickly platforms and websites must respond, how to deal with foreign sites, how to trace anonymous or fake identities, etc.
Why This Matters
- Precedent in the Era of Online Celebrity: As Indian courts deal more frequently with misuse of celebrity image through social media, e-commerce, AI etc., this case has the potential to carve out concrete legal standards for personality rights.
- Urgency in Digital Age: With AI tools becoming more available, creating fake images or deepfake videos is easier and cheaper. Legal systems have often lagged behind technology; this case could help close that gap, especially for celebrities who are frequent targets.
- Impact on Platforms & E-commerce: Platforms (search engines, e-commerce sites, social media) could be obligated to be more proactive: take down content quicker; verify claims; set up better grievance/redressal processes; possibly be held liable if they continue hosting infringing content.
- Wider Celebrity/Celebrity Rights Movement: Other public figures (actors, sports persons, influencers) who are similarly affected may find in this case a path forward to enforce rights over image, likeness, voice, or identity online.
Conclusion
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s case is more than just a celebrity suing for misuse of fame—it is a bellwether for how Indian law is adapting to challenges of identity misuse, digital manipulation, and the commercialisation of image without consent. In an age where a face or name can be copied, morphed, or manipulated online in seconds, legal structures must keep pace. If the Delhi High Court gives a robust decision, it could empower public figures everywhere in India to reclaim control over how their identity is used—and force platforms to act responsibly.
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