Delhi HC Orders Removal Of Fake, Obscene Content Targeting Kangana Ranaut

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court has ordered the takedown of AI-generated, fake and obscene content about Member of Parliament and actor Kangana Ranaut from online media.

The High Court also restrained defendants from using or exploiting Ranaut's name, image, likeness, voice, speeches, persona and other personality attributes without her authorisation.

"Meta is directed to remove, disable access to, and permanently take down the impugned content identified by the plaintiff'¦., from the platforms operated by them, including but not limited to videos, reels, posts, accounts, or channels which unlawfully use or imitate the plaintiff's persona within 72 hours of being communicated a copy of this order by the plaintiff," Justice Vikas Mahajan said in an order passed on October 8.

A compliance affidavit is to be filed within two weeks, the order said.

The court passed the interim order in a lawsuit by Ranaut seeking protection of her personality rights.

Ranaut's lawyer has objected to sexual and pornographic content, fake news, as well as AI-generated content wrongly attributing statements to the BJP leader.

The lawyer stated that while there was also objectionable satirical content, including memes, he was not pressing for interim relief against them at this stage.

In its order, the court also directed the Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and the Department of Telecommunications to issue necessary directions to internet and telecom service providers to block access to the identified infringing websites within two weeks.

The court observed that Ranaut's stature inherently grants her proprietary rights over her personality and associated attributes, including the exclusive right to use them for commercial purposes and to protect them against unauthorised use or exploitation.

"This further includes protection to the plaintiff against such instances of the impugned content, involving AI-generated/morphed, sexual, and explicit deepfakes," the court said.

The court said if any website/social media account, which is not primarily an infringing website, is blocked/locked in pursuance of this order, that website is permitted to approach the court by giving an undertaking that it does not intend to infringe the actor's personality rights, and thereafter, the court would consider modifying the injunction accordingly.

Several public figures, like actors Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan and Salman Khan, Art of Living founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, journalist Sudhir Chaudhary, podcaster Raj Shamani, Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan and cricketer Abhishek Sharma, have previously approached the high court seeking protection of their personality and publicity rights.

The High Court had granted them interim relief.