Personality rights and defamation in focus as Delhi HC handles two high-profile cases

The ongoing legal proceedings involving actor Jaya Bachchan and IRS officer Sameer Wankhede have continued before the Delhi High Court in recent months, during which interim observations and procedural directions have been issued while the final verdicts in both matters remain pending. Jaya Bachchan’s petition, seeking protection of her personality rights, had been filed earlier this year after it was alleged that unauthorized use of her name, image, likeness, voice and persona had been carried out across various online platforms. The plea stated that manipulated photographs, AI-generated videos and commercial listings featuring her images were being circulated without her consent, prompting the inclusion of major digital and e-commerce platforms such as Google, Amazon, Meta and others as defendants.

The matter was taken up by Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora, and by November 10, 2025, interim protection of the actor’s personality rights was granted. Directions were issued to restrain the unauthorized use of her identity, and orders for blocking infringing URLs were passed to Internet Service Providers and domain registrars. Permission to correct clerical errors in the petition was also granted. While taking note of the allegations, the Court observed that unauthorized commercial use of a celebrity’s persona constituted a violation of personality rights. However, restraint on the sale of original posters from the 1973 film Abhimaan was not issued, as the copyright of the artwork vested with the film’s producer and not with the petitioner. The matter has been listed for further hearing, and no final ruling has yet been delivered.

A separate suit filed by IRS officer Sameer Wankhede has also been examined by the High Court. The defamation suit, brought against Red Chillies Entertainment and Netflix, was filed on the grounds that the series “The Ba*ds of Bollywood” had contained a character that allegedly resembled him in a manner portrayed as defamatory. In the petition, damages of ₹2 crore were sought, along with a permanent injunction against the continued streaming of the show. Summons were issued by the Delhi High Court in September 2025, after which the defendants filed counter-statements asserting that the series constituted situational satire and did not target any specific individual.

During the hearing held on September 26, 2025, the Court raised questions regarding the maintainability of the suit in Delhi and directed the plaintiff to clarify the jurisdictional basis. Consideration was also given to whether the portrayal in the series amounted to defamation or fell within the scope of protected creative expression. No interim order directing removal or alteration of the show has been passed so far, and the suit continues to remain under judicial review.

At present, both cases continue before the Delhi High Court. In the matter concerning Jaya Bachchan, interim protection of her personality rights has been granted, while in the Wankhede case, procedural scrutiny has been initiated without any final decision being issued. Both cases remain ongoing, and further hearings have been scheduled.