Delhi High Court orders removal of deepfake content against Patanjali co-founder
Acharya Balkrishna, co-founder of Patanjali Ayurved, sued to protect his personality rights after deepfake videos were created and circulated online. The Delhi High Court issued an interim order directing removal of defamatory social media content, but declined a blanket takedown and required specific identification of violating material.
What happened
Acharya Balkrishna, co-founder and managing director of Patanjali Ayurved, filed a suit in Delhi High Court against the misuse of his identity through deepfake technology. The suit named Ashok Kumar (described as a fictitious name) and other unknown parties for allegedly creating or circulating manipulated digital content.
On March 24, 2026, Justice Tushar Rao Gedela passed an interim order protecting Balkrishna's personality rights and directing the removal of vulgar, defamatory and insulting social media content against him. The court declined to issue a blanket takedown order, instead requiring Balkrishna to provide a specific list of violating content.
Reported impact
Balkrishna claimed that fake and edited videos circulating online can mislead people and harm his reputation. He stated that such content may confuse viewers, especially those in rural areas who may not easily identify fake digital material.
Index analysis
The case reflects increasing judicial scrutiny of deepfake technology and its potential misuse, particularly in relation to public figures. The court observed that a public figure must tolerate criticism, satire and commentary, and cannot obtain blanket orders to remove content without examining specific instances.
Governance controls
The interim order directed the removal of defamatory and vulgar social media content while recognizing the limits of content removal for public figures. The court asked the plaintiff to narrow down his request and provide specific instances of violating content rather than making broad removal demands.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.