Last Updated:December 22, 2025, 19:55 IST

Delhi High Court ordered websites to remove obscene content involving R Madhavan and granted him personality rights protection, with AI-related issues to be examined later.

Delhi High Court ordered websites to remove obscene content involving R Madhavan.

Several celebrities have been filing suits to get their personality rights protected. On Monday, the Delhi High Court protected the personality rights of actor R Madhavan, restraining websites and online platforms from using his name, images, or anything related to him without consent. This decision comes just a few days after several celebrities received protection in similar cases.

As per PTI, the High Court has ordered several websites to take down obscene content involving R Madhavan. Along with this, the court has also provided protection of the actor’s personality rights. The actor’s lawyer argued that the actor had already approached social media platforms about the infringing material before filing the official complaint.

As per ANI, Advocate Swathi Sukumar, who was representing Madhavan in court, shared that one of the defendants had created fake movie trailers for Shaitaan 2 and Kesari 3, falsely claiming the movies were about to be released. While the court said some content could be hidden, it clarified that it is still examining the larger legal issues around AI-generated material.

The judge said, “I am not clear about the AI issue. I will think about it. I will not pass orders right now.” The matter is scheduled for further hearing in May 2026.

Celebs Who Got Personality Rights Protection?

The Bombay High Court has recently passed comparable orders for Amitabh Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan, and others, reinforcing stronger protections against the unauthorised commercial use of their names, images, and voices.

What Are Personality Rights?

Personality rights refer to an individual’s legal entitlement to control the commercial and public use of their identity. They safeguard attributes that are uniquely linked to a person, such as their name, image, likeness, voice, signature, or even trademark catchphrases, from being exploited without consent.

These rights are often broken into two branches, the Right of Publicity and the Right to Privacy. The former protects against unauthorised commercial exploitation, such as using a celebrity’s face in advertisements. On the other hand, the right to privacy guards against intrusion into personal dignity, covering misuse through deepfakes, morphed images, fabricated endorsements, or intimate doctored content.