Court orders takedown of obscene Janhvi Kapoor content, questions fanpage ban
Janhvi Kapoor asked the Delhi High Court to act against obscene posts, impersonation and deepfakes using her identity. The court signalled immediate relief for clearly abusive and commercial misuse, while questioning any blanket ban on fan pages.
Actor Janhvi Kapoor approached the Delhi High Court on Tuesday seeking protection of her personality rights, alleging that pornographic and obscene content, impersonation on social media, and AI-generated deepfakes were being circulated using her name and likeness. Justice Anup Jairam Bhambhani said the court would pass an ex parte ad-interim order for the removal or takedown of obscene and profane content, but questioned whether a blanket order against all fan pages could be granted.
According to LiveLaw report, the judge said the court was inclined to grant protection to Kapoor in three broad categories: content that is clearly pornographic or obscene; content that appears to directly monetise her personality rights; and content that uses her name or likeness to promote the sale of merchandise or services.
“I want you all (counsels) to assist me to give sanity to the concept of personality rights. It is going out of hand,” Justice Bhambhani remarked during the hearing.
Advocate Asav Rajan, appearing for Kapoor, told the court that the actor was aggrieved by pornographic content, social media accounts impersonating her, and images created using artificial intelligence and deepfake technology.
He also alleged that fake profiles on Meta-owned platforms and X were being used to spread misleading information about Kapoor.
Rajan argued that any social media activity concerning Kapoor should relate only to her personality and that no third party should be allowed to commercially exploit her name, image or other personality traits.
He also described some of the content shared through fan pages as obscene and profane. The court, however, questioned whether all such pages could be covered by a dynamic injunction.
“A part of it may be satire or critical of your work. Fan pages is your monopoly. Are you sure?” the judge asked.
Justice Bhambhani said that commercial exploitation could warrant protection, but not every fan page could automatically be treated as an infringement. “If they are monetising or there is commercial exploitation then yes, but not all fan pages are (offending),” he observed.
Delhi HC asks: Where should the line be drawn?
The court stressed the need to strike a balance between protecting a public figure's personality rights and allowing legitimate criticism and expression.
“How do we draw the line? In law, we can only do so much and no more. To completely restrain everything cannot be the approach,” the judge said.
He added that the court could intervene where there was obscenity, monetisation or “extremely egregious or inappropriate content”, but questioned the need to shut down all fan clubs.
The judge also cautioned against the broader use of personality-rights claims.
“Today many people are trying to hide their wrongdoings by saying celebrity or personality rights. How can court allow that?” he said.
Kapoor's counsel said the disputed material included accounts impersonating the actor and pages that allegedly used her personality traits commercially while also posting obscene images.
Meta says over 4,000 URLs have been flagged
Advocate Varun Pathak, appearing for Meta Platforms, told the court that Kapoor had submitted more than 4,000 URLs. He argued that the material covered by the request was not uniformly obscene or profane.
While agreeing that clearly objectionable material could be removed, Pathak said broader categories of content needed to be narrowed down.
The court consequently asked Kapoor's counsel to classify the disputed content into broader categories, following which it would consider passing an appropriate order.
The Delhi High Court has in recent years passed several orders protecting the personality and publicity rights of actors, sportspersons, public figures and other prominent personalities.
These include actor Tabu, cricketers Yuvraj Singh and Abhishek Sharma, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan, entrepreneur Aman Gupta, actors Allu Arjun, Mohanlal, Kajol Devgan, R Madhavan and Jr NTR, spiritual preacher Aniruddhacharya, singer Jubin Nautiyal and former cricketer Sunil Gavaskar.
The court has also passed similar orders involving Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Nagarjuna, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan and filmmaker Karan Johar. A similar suit has also been filed by actor Salman Khan.
Actor Janhvi Kapoor approached the Delhi High Court on Tuesday seeking protection of her personality rights, alleging that pornographic and obscene content, impersonation on social media, and AI-generated deepfakes were being circulated using her name and likeness. Justice Anup Jairam Bhambhani said the court would pass an ex parte ad-interim order for the removal or takedown of obscene and profane content, but questioned whether a blanket order against all fan pages could be granted.
According to LiveLaw report, the judge said the court was inclined to grant protection to Kapoor in three broad categories: content that is clearly pornographic or obscene; content that appears to directly monetise her personality rights; and content that uses her name or likeness to promote the sale of merchandise or services.
“I want you all (counsels) to assist me to give sanity to the concept of personality rights. It is going out of hand,” Justice Bhambhani remarked during the hearing.
Advocate Asav Rajan, appearing for Kapoor, told the court that the actor was aggrieved by pornographic content, social media accounts impersonating her, and images created using artificial intelligence and deepfake technology.
He also alleged that fake profiles on Meta-owned platforms and X were being used to spread misleading information about Kapoor.
Rajan argued that any social media activity concerning Kapoor should relate only to her personality and that no third party should be allowed to commercially exploit her name, image or other personality traits.
He also described some of the content shared through fan pages as obscene and profane. The court, however, questioned whether all such pages could be covered by a dynamic injunction.
“A part of it may be satire or critical of your work. Fan pages is your monopoly. Are you sure?” the judge asked.
Justice Bhambhani said that commercial exploitation could warrant protection, but not every fan page could automatically be treated as an infringement. “If they are monetising or there is commercial exploitation then yes, but not all fan pages are (offending),” he observed.
Delhi HC asks: Where should the line be drawn?
The court stressed the need to strike a balance between protecting a public figure's personality rights and allowing legitimate criticism and expression.
“How do we draw the line? In law, we can only do so much and no more. To completely restrain everything cannot be the approach,” the judge said.
He added that the court could intervene where there was obscenity, monetisation or “extremely egregious or inappropriate content”, but questioned the need to shut down all fan clubs.
The judge also cautioned against the broader use of personality-rights claims.
“Today many people are trying to hide their wrongdoings by saying celebrity or personality rights. How can court allow that?” he said.
Kapoor's counsel said the disputed material included accounts impersonating the actor and pages that allegedly used her personality traits commercially while also posting obscene images.
Meta says over 4,000 URLs have been flagged
Advocate Varun Pathak, appearing for Meta Platforms, told the court that Kapoor had submitted more than 4,000 URLs. He argued that the material covered by the request was not uniformly obscene or profane.
While agreeing that clearly objectionable material could be removed, Pathak said broader categories of content needed to be narrowed down.
The court consequently asked Kapoor's counsel to classify the disputed content into broader categories, following which it would consider passing an appropriate order.
The Delhi High Court has in recent years passed several orders protecting the personality and publicity rights of actors, sportspersons, public figures and other prominent personalities.
These include actor Tabu, cricketers Yuvraj Singh and Abhishek Sharma, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan, entrepreneur Aman Gupta, actors Allu Arjun, Mohanlal, Kajol Devgan, R Madhavan and Jr NTR, spiritual preacher Aniruddhacharya, singer Jubin Nautiyal and former cricketer Sunil Gavaskar.
The court has also passed similar orders involving Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Nagarjuna, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan and filmmaker Karan Johar. A similar suit has also been filed by actor Salman Khan.
Actor Janhvi Kapoor approached the Delhi High Court on Tuesday seeking protection of her personality rights, alleging that pornographic and obscene content, impersonation on social media, and AI-generated deepfakes were being circulated using her name and likeness. Justice Anup Jairam Bhambhani said the court would pass an ex parte ad-interim order for the removal or takedown of obscene and profane content, but questioned whether a blanket order against all fan pages could be granted.
According to LiveLaw report, the judge said the court was inclined to grant protection to Kapoor in three broad categories: content that is clearly pornographic or obscene; content that appears to directly monetise her personality rights; and content that uses her name or likeness to promote the sale of merchandise or services.
“I want you all (counsels) to assist me to give sanity to the concept of personality rights. It is going out of hand,” Justice Bhambhani remarked during the hearing.
Advocate Asav Rajan, appearing for Kapoor, told the court that the actor was aggrieved by pornographic content, social media accounts impersonating her, and images created using artificial intelligence and deepfake technology.
He also alleged that fake profiles on Meta-owned platforms and X were being used to spread misleading information about Kapoor.
Rajan argued that any social media activity concerning Kapoor should relate only to her personality and that no third party should be allowed to commercially exploit her name, image or other personality traits.
He also described some of the content shared through fan pages as obscene and profane. The court, however, questioned whether all such pages could be covered by a dynamic injunction.
“A part of it may be satire or critical of your work. Fan pages is your monopoly. Are you sure?” the judge asked.
Justice Bhambhani said that commercial exploitation could warrant protection, but not every fan page could automatically be treated as an infringement. “If they are monetising or there is commercial exploitation then yes, but not all fan pages are (offending),” he observed.
Delhi HC asks: Where should the line be drawn?
The court stressed the need to strike a balance between protecting a public figure's personality rights and allowing legitimate criticism and expression.
“How do we draw the line? In law, we can only do so much and no more. To completely restrain everything cannot be the approach,” the judge said.
He added that the court could intervene where there was obscenity, monetisation or “extremely egregious or inappropriate content”, but questioned the need to shut down all fan clubs.
The judge also cautioned against the broader use of personality-rights claims.
“Today many people are trying to hide their wrongdoings by saying celebrity or personality rights. How can court allow that?” he said.
Kapoor's counsel said the disputed material included accounts impersonating the actor and pages that allegedly used her personality traits commercially while also posting obscene images.
Meta says over 4,000 URLs have been flagged
Advocate Varun Pathak, appearing for Meta Platforms, told the court that Kapoor had submitted more than 4,000 URLs. He argued that the material covered by the request was not uniformly obscene or profane.
While agreeing that clearly objectionable material could be removed, Pathak said broader categories of content needed to be narrowed down.
The court consequently asked Kapoor's counsel to classify the disputed content into broader categories, following which it would consider passing an appropriate order.
The Delhi High Court has in recent years passed several orders protecting the personality and publicity rights of actors, sportspersons, public figures and other prominent personalities.
These include actor Tabu, cricketers Yuvraj Singh and Abhishek Sharma, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan, entrepreneur Aman Gupta, actors Allu Arjun, Mohanlal, Kajol Devgan, R Madhavan and Jr NTR, spiritual preacher Aniruddhacharya, singer Jubin Nautiyal and former cricketer Sunil Gavaskar.
The court has also passed similar orders involving Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Nagarjuna, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan and filmmaker Karan Johar. A similar suit has also been filed by actor Salman Khan.
