New Delhi [India], July 6 : The Delhi High Court on Monday granted interim protection to actor and BJP MP Ravi Kishan, restraining several individuals, websites and online platforms from using or exploiting his name, image, likeness and other personality attributes without authorisation. The Court also directed the removal of URLs allegedly carrying obscene, pornographic and AI-generated content misusing the actor's identity.
Justice Jyoti Singh passed the interim order while hearing a suit filed by Ravi Kishan (Ravindra Shukla), who sought protection of his personality and publicity rights against alleged misuse of his identity across social media platforms, websites and other online mediums.
The Court restrained several Defendants, including unidentified "John Doe" defendants, from directly or indirectly using or exploiting Ravi Kishan's name, image, likeness or any other distinctive attributes of his persona for commercial or personal gain through any technology, including Artificial Intelligence (AI), Generative AI, Machine Learning and deepfakes, across physical, virtual or social media platforms.
The Court further restrained the defendants from posting any audio-visual, vulgar, obscene or pornographic content using the actor's personality attributes through any technology or medium.
Justice Singh also directed Defendants, along with the concerned domain name registrars, to take down the URLs listed in Annexure-A of the order within three days of receiving the order. The Court said that if they fail to comply, Ravi Kishan may notify Meta Platforms, Google LLC and X Corp., which shall initiate steps to remove the concerned URLs within 72 hours of receiving such intimation.
The Court observed that Ravi Kishan had established a prima facie case for interim relief, adding that the balance of convenience lay in his favour and that he would suffer irreparable harm if the injunction was not granted.
Recognising the actor's long career in cinema and public life, the Court noted that Ravi Kishan has built significant goodwill and reputation over more than three decades and has exclusive rights over the commercial exploitation of his name, image, voice, likeness and other identifiable personality attributes. It held that unauthorised use of these attributes affects not only commercial interests but also an individual's personality rights, privacy and dignity.
Referring to earlier decisions on personality rights, the Court observed that famous personalities are entitled to seek protection against unauthorised use of their identity, particularly where such use involves vulgar, obscene, sexually explicit or pornographic content that tarnishes their image and reputation.
According to the plaint, Ravi Kishan alleged that several social media accounts and websites had uploaded objectionable reels, fabricated statements, AI-generated videos and sexually explicit content using his name, image and likeness without permission. He also alleged that certain websites were using his name as a keyword and within URLs to host pornographic content, while another defendant had allegedly distorted his name for a radio programme.
The Court issued summons in the suit and notices on the interim injunction application. Written statements have been directed to be filed within 30 days of service of summons, while the matter has been listed before the Joint Registrar on August 13, 2026. The interim injunction application is scheduled for hearing before the Court on October 16, 2026.