The Delhi High Court moved to protect singer Jubin Nautiyal’s personality rights but sharply questioned why celebrities avoid their local courts, asking pointedly whether Uttarakhand lacks jurisdiction or even access to platforms like Google in such legal disputes.
The Delhi High Court announced that it will issue orders to safeguard the personality rights of singer Jubin Nautiyal.
Justice Tushar Rao Gedela remarked,
“Alright, we will pass orders.”
Nautiyal approached the court with claims that various entities have been exploiting his name, voice, image, likeness, and other aspects of his persona without authorization, license, or consent.
He stated that these actions constitute an infringement of his personality and publicity rights, as well as violations of registered trademarks, copyrights, and other intellectual property that he jointly owns.
During the hearing, Justice Gedela questioned why Nautiyal chose to file the case in Delhi when he resides in Uttarakhand. The court pointed out that some defendants named in Nautiyal’s application are located in Romania and the UAE.
The judge inquired,
“What is the reason for coming here? Court in Uttarakhand can’t call them [defendants] and pass directions? Are you saying Google is not available in Uttarakhand? You have to tell us this, no? Why Uttarakhand doesn’t have jurisdiction when you yourself are located there? Is it the law that because the ministry is here, whatever will be against them, all jurisdiction, whether from Madras, Calcutta or Bombay will come here?”
Nautiyal’s counsel explained that the Department of Technology and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY) are located in Delhi, and many infringers also operate from that region.
Furthermore, it was mentioned that other celebrities, such as Vivek Oberoi, have sought protection for their personality rights in the Delhi High Court.
Nevertheless, the court noted that such cases typically involve interim orders and may not set a binding precedent.
Justice Gedela questioned,
“They are all Order 39, Rules 1 and 2 orders. Will that create a precedent?”
Ultimately, he concluded by affirming that the court would take measures to protect Nautiyal’s rights.
The judge stated,
“We will pass orders,”
Recently, Bollywood figures such as Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, her husband Abhishek Bachchan, Hrithik Roshan, filmmaker Karan Johar, Telugu actor Akkineni Nagarjuna, “Art of Living” founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, and journalist Sudhir Chaudhary also approached the high court for protection of their personality and publicity rights, receiving interim relief.
The right to publicity, commonly referred to as personality rights, allows individuals to protect, control, and profit from their image, name, or likeness.
This is not the first such case before the Delhi High Court. Earlier, celebrities including Amitabh Bachchan, Anil Kapoor, and Jackie Shroff obtained orders safeguarding their likeness and voice.
Case Title: EAS Sarma Vs Union of India
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