Actor and BJP Member of Parliament Kangana Ranaut has approached the Delhi High Court to safeguard her name, persona, and public image from unauthorized exploitation across online networks. The parliamentarian has sought judicial protection for her personality and publicity rights, highlighting that multiple digital portals have been utilizing her identity without prior consent. Her petition specifically points out the circulation of sexually explicit and derogatory digital content unfairly linked to her likeness.
Plea to Remove Offensive Material and Scrutiny of Respondents
The matter came up for hearing before a single-judge bench presided over by Justice Vikas Mahajan. The bench issued formal summons on Ranaut's substantive lawsuit while also issuing notice regarding her interim application. Through this interim relief measure, the petitioner has requested an urgent court direction compelling online platforms to pull down all offensive and indecent posts.
During court proceedings, legal counsel representing Ranaut submitted that the parliamentarian has been deeply distressed by the derogatory material circulating on social platforms. The advocate pressed for judicial intervention to have such posts taken down immediately. In response, the bench instructed the counsel to specify the exact entities and parties against whom the takedown directions are being sought, noting that an updated respondent list must be submitted following the deletion of certain parties from the suit.
Next Hearing Scheduled and the Rise of AI Deepfakes
The bench has scheduled the subsequent hearing in the proceedings for February 3, 2027. Ranaut's legal intervention comes amid a significant surge in litigation before the high court regarding the illicit use of celebrity voices, photographs, and personal attributes. A major catalyst behind this legal trend has been the rapid proliferation of synthetic media, including AI-generated deepfake footage, deceptively manufactured advertisements, and unauthorized commercial branding featuring prominent figures.
Growing List of Public Figures Seeking Judicial Protection
Prior to Ranaut's action, a distinguished roster of personalities across sports, cinema, spirituality, and public affairs had already approached the same court seeking similar injunctions. From the cricketing fraternity, former cricketer Gautam Gambhir and former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar initiated legal action against identity misuse, while spiritual teacher Sri Sri Ravi Shankar also sought judicial protection.
The entertainment fraternity has seen numerous leading performers pursue personality rights, including Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan, Kajol, Varun Dhawan, Arjun Kapoor, Allu Arjun, Nagarjuna, and Naga Chaitanya. Furthermore, filmmaker Karan Johar, playback vocalist Jubin Nautiyal, prominent podcast creator Raj Shamani, and Congress parliamentarian Shashi Tharoor have similarly approached the Delhi High Court to halt unauthorized commercial and digital exploitation of their personas.
