Delhi HC grants interim protection to Jaya Bachchan over misuse of personality rights

The Delhi High Court on Monday granted interim protection to actor and Rajya Sabha MP Jaya Bachchan, restraining individuals and entities from using her name, images, or likeness without proper authorisation. The order comes as part of the actor’s ongoing legal battle to safeguard her personality and publicity rights amid increasing instances of online misuse.

A bench led by Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora clarified, however, that the interim order does not immediately extend to movie posters featuring Bachchan, noting that the copyright for such material vests with the film owner, not the actor.

The Court directed the issuance of blocking orders against websites found to be exploiting Bachchan’s persona and directed that these websites, along with domain name registrars (DNRs), be made parties to the case. Additionally, the actor was given the liberty to file an amended plaint within two days to correct clerical and typographical errors. The matter has been listed for further hearing on April 16, 2026.

Senior Advocate Sandeep Sethi, representing Bachchan, highlighted several instances of misuse, including AI-generated videos, sexually explicit content, and morphed images. He further noted that some defendants were selling merchandise using her images, while others had uploaded defamatory content on platforms such as YouTube. “We don’t even know the name of the party who is selling it,” Sethi told the Court.

The case is part of a broader judicial trend in India to protect the personality and publicity rights of celebrities in the digital era. Recently, the Delhi High Court had extended similar protection to actors Jackie Shroff, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan, Hrithik Roshan, Akkineni Nagarjuna, and filmmaker Karan Johar. In 2023, actor Anil Kapoor received protection over the misuse of his name, image, voice, and signature catchphrase “jhakaas,”

With the rise of online platforms and AI-generated content, the ruling underscores the judiciary’s commitment to protecting the image, likeness, and reputation of public figures, balancing intellectual property rights with the growing need to curb digital misuse and defamation.