Suniel Shetty seeks court protection for personality rights after deepfake misuse
Bollywood actor Suniel Shetty filed a legal case in the Bombay High Court seeking protection of his personality rights after his image was unauthorized used on social media for commercial promotion. He cited a deepfake image involving his grandchild among the instances of misuse, joining a growing number of Indian celebrities pursuing similar legal action against digital identity exploitation.
What happened
Bollywood actor Suniel Shetty approached the Bombay High Court seeking legal protection for his personality rights due to unauthorized use of his image on social media for commercial purposes.
The actor cited a deepfake image featuring him and his grandchild as an instance of misuse, and noted that many social media pages and websites use his image to promote their business.
Reported impact
The unauthorized use of his image affects his personality rights and commercial identity, as his likeness is being exploited on social media platforms and websites.
Index analysis
This case follows a growing trend of Indian celebrities seeking legal protection against digital misuse of their identities, including actors Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan, Anil Kapoor, Amitabh Bachchan, and filmmaker Karan Johar.
Governance controls
The Bombay High Court has been approached for legal relief, similar to recent precedents where courts have issued orders protecting celebrities from unauthorized use of their identities, names, images, and voices, including restrictions on AI-generated manipulations.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.