The Delhi High Court has recognised and safeguarded the personality rights of veteran Telugu actor Akkineni Nagarjuna, issuing a strong order against the unauthorised use of his identity for commercial or defamatory purposes. The ruling makes it clear that no individual or entity can exploit the actor’s name, image, voice, or likeness without his permission.
Nagarjuna approached the court after discovering that his persona was being misused across various online platforms. According to his petition, certain individuals had allegedly morphed his pictures into obscene material, while others had deployed artificial intelligence to create fabricated videos linking him falsely with terrorism, gambling, and other illegal activities. He argued that such content not only damaged his reputation but also deceived the public into believing he endorsed these activities.
Hearing the matter, Justice Sanjeev Narula emphasised that a celebrity’s persona carries immense goodwill, both as an individual and as a brand. Misuse of that persona, the judge observed, can cause long-lasting harm, especially when the material is derogatory or misleading. The court noted that such exploitation not only violates an individual’s dignity but also endangers the economic value attached to their public image.
The court’s order directed that all infringing content be removed within seventy-two hours of identification. It restrained the defendants from using Nagarjuna’s name, photos, or any other attributes of his identity without authorisation, particularly for promotions, endorsements, or misleading online material.
This ruling is in line with a growing trend of Indian courts stepping in to protect the publicity and personality rights of well-known figures. Similar protections have recently been extended to Bollywood actors like Jackie Shroff, Anil Kapoor, Amitabh Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan, and filmmaker Karan Johar, each of whom faced instances of identity misuse in the digital domain.
By affirming Nagarjuna’s rights, the High Court has once again underscored the principle that a public figure’s persona is their intellectual property. It cannot be appropriated for profit, parody, or scandal without consent. In the age of artificial intelligence and deepfakes, the judgment carries wider significance, sending a clear signal that courts will act decisively to curb misuse of celebrity identities and uphold the integrity of personal reputation.
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