Delhi High Court Orders Removal of AI-Generated Deepfakes Targeting Indian Actors
The Delhi High Court granted interim protection to Telugu actor Naga Chaitanya and other Indian public figures against AI-generated deepfakes and pornographic content misusing their identities. The court ordered the removal of such content from online platforms and restricted unauthorised merchandise sales bearing their likenesses.
What happened
The Delhi High Court issued an interim order on May 29, 2026, granting Telugu actor Naga Chaitanya protection against dissemination of pornographic content and AI-generated images portraying him in inappropriate scenarios. The court, presided over by Justice Jyoti Singh, also restrained third parties from selling merchandise bearing his name and image without consent.
According to Naga Chaitanya's senior counsel, several websites were hosting pornographic video content using the actor's name as a category or tag, and YouTube videos and channels were carrying defamatory, AI-generated and unauthorised content in violation of his personality and publicity rights.
Reported impact
The court found that the distasteful content was harming and damaging Naga Chaitanya's reputation and may mislead the public into believing what is depicted may be true.
Index analysis
Justice Jyoti Singh stated that Naga Chaitanya, as a renowned actor in the Indian film industry, has the right to protect his name, likeness, voice and image from unauthorised use by third parties.
Governance controls
The court directed the removal of objectionable content from online platforms. Several other public figures, including actors Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan, Salman Khan, Sonakshi Sinha, Vivek Oberoi, Varun Dhawan and Allu Arjun, as well as cricketer Gautam Gambhir and politician Shashi Tharoor, were also granted interim relief by the Delhi High Court for protection of their personality and publicity rights.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.