Today, On 15th October, Delhi High Court protects Hrithik Roshan’s personality rights, ordering removal of objectionable posts. The actor must identify each fan post or page misusing his image or AI-generated clips.
Delhi High Court today heard Bollywood actor Hrithik Roshan’s suit seeking protection of his personality and image rights against misuse on social media and online platforms.
The bench, headed by Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora, heard Senior Advocate Sandeep Sethi, representing Hrithik Roshan, who said that several apps and pages are using the actor’s photos without consent, including on merchandise such as bags and clothing lines.
Sethi cited one brand, ‘Ribbon Balloons’, as falsely using Hrithik’s image.
Sethi highlighted the most serious issue AI-generated clips and videos where Hrithik’s image or movie scenes are used but the voice is replaced with a “demeaning” voiceover.
He told the Court,
“These posts show me in poor light.”
The Court observed,
“This document has nothing against you. A meme is okay, he’s not doing commercial merchandise.”
Sethi, however, insisted that the altered posts and AI edits misused Hrithik’s likeness and voice.
After reviewing the material, the Court noted that some content appeared to be fan-made and not commercially exploited.
Justice Arora said,
“If it’s a fan page, we’ll hear him first. Ex parte I will not grant relief.”
Meta’s counsel, Varun Pathak, said the account in question was a fan profile and requested,
“Please direct specific post takedown instead of the entire profile. Some posts may be harmless or memes.”
Sethi replied that a URL in Hrithik’s name with many followers was being monetised.
The Court asked,
“Does your client want all fan pages down? How are they monetising on Facebook?”
Counsel for Google India said that specific URLs must be provided for any takedown. Google further stated that one video allegedly using an AI-generated person narrating Hrithik’s life had “no likeness with him.”
Also Read: BREAKING| Sharjeel Imam Withdraws Interim Bail Plea to Contest Bihar Elections
Telegram’s counsel made a similar point, saying only individual posts, not full channels, can be removed.
The Court said,
“Hrithik Roshan will have to identify each fan club or post. I cannot take down entire fan pages. Instagram is not only for commercialisation, people use it for fun. Unless it’s obscene, morphed or defamatory, we won’t remove all.”
However, the Court agreed that AI posts mimicking Hrithik’s voice should be taken down. Meta was asked to share the BSI details of the profile creator within three weeks.
Regarding e-commerce platforms, eBay agreed to remove three listings after the Court’s direction. Flipkart confirmed that one link was already down, and the second would be removed soon.
The Court recorded submissions from Google, Meta, eBay, and Flipkart, and stated that a detailed order will follow.
The next hearing in this matter is scheduled for March 27, 2026.
FOLLOW US FOR MORE LEGAL UPDATES ON YOUTUBE
