3 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Sep 11, 2025 06:13 PM IST
In an order made public on Thursday, it observed that courts “cannot turn a blind eye” to such cases of “unauthorised exploitation of one’s personality rights”. (File Photo)
The Delhi High Court restrained entities from violating Bollywood actor Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s personality, publicity, moral rights, as well as from passing off their goods and services as if its being endorsed by Rai Bachchan.
In an order made public on Thursday, it observed that courts “cannot turn a blind eye” to such cases of “unauthorised exploitation of one’s personality rights”.
Justice Tejas Karia also restrained the entities from exploiting or misappropriating her name and acronym ‘ARB’, image and persona for any commercial or personal gain, without her consent and authorisation.
It also restrained them from creating, sharing, disseminating any product — including merchandise or digital content — through the use of any technology, “including but not limited to Artificial Intelligence, Generative Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Deepfakes, Face Morphing, on any medium and format”.
The court also issued summons to nine infringing entities that Rai Bachchan made parties in her suit, which include websites and online marketplaces selling merchandise; a chatbot where users can interact with AI characters “that are designed to facilitate and engage in personalised conversations with inappropriate innuendos related” to Rai Bachchan; and YouTube channels which feature AI-generated deepfake videos of her.
Noting that such infringement is causing Rai Bachchan not just financial detriment but also “harming her dignity, reputation and goodwill,” Justice Karia held that she had made out a prima facie case in her favour for an ex-parte injunction.
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Justice Karia, while granting the injunction and ordering takedowns of websites infringing on her personality rights, reasoned, “Personality rights can be located in the individuals’ autonomy to permit or deny the exploitation of the likeness of other attributes of their personality. When the identity of a famous personality is used without their consent or authorisation, it may not only lead to commercial detriment to the individual concerned but also impact their right to live with dignity.”
“In other words, the unauthorised exploitation of the attributes of an individual’s personality may have two facets – first, violation of their right to protect their personality attributes from being commercially exploited; and second, violation of their right to privacy, which in turn leads to undermining their right to live with dignity. The courts, in such cases of unauthorised exploitation of one’s personality rights, cannot turn a blind eye and shall protect the aggrieved parties to avert any harm to them resulting from the said unauthorised exploitation,” it said.
Sohini Ghosh is a Senior Correspondent at The Indian Express. Previously based in Ahmedabad covering Gujarat, she recently moved to the New Delhi bureau, where she primarily covers legal developments at the Delhi High Court
Professional Profile
Background: An alumna of the Asian College of Journalism (ACJ), she previously worked with ET NOW before joining The Indian Express.
Core Beats: Her reporting is currently centered on the Delhi High Court, with a focus on high-profile constitutional disputes, disputes over intellectual property, criminal and civil cases, issues of human rights and regulatory law (especially in the areas of technology and healthcare).
Earlier Specialty: In Gujarat, she was known for her rigorous coverage in the beats of crime, law and policy, and social justice issues, including the 2002 riot cases, 2008 serial bomb blast case, 2016 flogging of Dalits in Una, among others.
She has extensively covered health in the state, including being part of the team that revealed the segregation of wards at the state’s largest government hospital on lines of faith in April 2020.
With Ahmedabad being a UNESCO heritage city, she has widely covered urban development and heritage issues, including the redevelopment of the Sabarmati Ashram
Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025)
Her recent reporting from the Delhi High Court covers major political, constitutional, corporate, and public-interest legal battles:
High-Profile Case Coverage
She has extensively covered the various legal battles - including for compensation under the aegis of North East Delhi Riots Claims Commission - pertaining to the 2020 northeast Delhi riots, as well as 1984 anti-Sikh riots.
She has also led coverage at the intersection of technology and governance, and its impact on the citizenry, from, and beyond courtrooms — such as the government’s stakeholder consultations for framing AI-Deepfake policy.
Signature Style
Sohini is recognized for her sustained reporting from courtrooms and beyond. She specialises in breaking down dense legal arguments to make legalese accessible for readers. Her transition from Gujarat to Delhi has seen her expand her coverage on regulatory, corporate and intellectual property law, while maintaining a strong commitment to human rights and lacuna in the criminal justice system.
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