Shashi Tharoor approached the Delhi High Court seeking protection of his personality and publicity rights, alleging unauthorized use of his identity across digital platforms that could harm his reputation and mislead the public through misuse of his name and image.
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has approached the Delhi High Court requesting protection of his personality and publicity rights after allegations surfaced that his identity is being used without permission across various digital platforms.
The case is listed for hearing before Justice Mini Pushkarna. Tharoor is seeking legal relief against several defendants, including unspecified individuals referred to as “John Doe” parties. He claims that the misuse of his name, image, likeness, and public persona has caused harm and may also mislead members of the public.
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In his plea, Tharoor has also asked for directions to remove deepfake videos and AI-generated morphed material he alleges is currently circulating online. The petition highlights concerns about the increasing use of artificial intelligence tools to produce manipulated media featuring public figures.
The lawsuit has been filed through advocate Nikhil Narendran. Tharoor argues that the unauthorized exploitation of his identity infringes his personality rights and that the content may wrongly present itself as genuine.
The matter reflects a wider pattern of prominent individuals turning to courts to safeguard their digital identity against misuse. In recent years, various celebrities and public figures have sought judicial intervention to stop unauthorized commercial use of their names, voices, images, and other persona-related attributes particularly when such content is created using AI tools or involves online impersonation.
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Previously, actors Anil Kapoor and Amitabh Bachchan secured injunctions from the Delhi High Court against unauthorized use of their personality characteristics, including voice cloning, deepfakes, merchandise, and misleading advertisements.
The expanding adoption of generative AI technologies has also intensified legal discussions in India on issues such as privacy, personality rights, digital identity protection, and regulation of synthetic media. Courts have increasingly recognized that public figures have enforceable rights against commercial and deceptive use of their persona.
The Delhi High Court is expected to consider whether urgent interim relief is necessary to prevent further spread of the allegedly manipulated content involving Tharoor while the suit remains pending adjudication.
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