Bollywood filmmaker and producer Karan Johar may soon have legal protection over his name, image, and identity. The Delhi High Court, which heard his plea for personality and publicity rights, orally indicated on Wednesday, September 17, that it intends to grant an interim injunction in his favour. “In the IA (interim relief application) I will pass a detailed order. Injunction to be granted,” the court stated, according to Live Law.
Timeline of the case
The case was first brought to the court on Monday, September 15, when Justice Manmeet P.S. Arora said she would consider several issues raised by Johar. These included the unauthorised sale of merchandise using his name and image, fake profiles, impersonation, domain name misuse, and content of an obscene nature. Johar’s plea also sought to prevent certain websites and platforms from illegally selling merchandise such as mugs and t-shirts bearing his likeness.
His suit claimed that various entities were using his name, image, persona, and likeness for monetary gains without his consent. “I have a right to ensure that no one unauthorisedly uses my persona, face or voice,” said senior advocate Rajshekhar Rao, representing Johar.
The counsel for Meta Platforms, which owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, argued that many of the flagged comments were not defamatory. “These are ordinary people having comments and having discussions. Most of them are satire and jokes and not defamatory,” the counsel said, warning that a blanket ban could trigger widespread litigation.
According to Bar and Bench, the matter is set to be heard again on February 19, 2026.
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan’s personality rights case
This case comes in the wake of similar protections recently granted to Bollywood stars Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan. In those cases, the court restrained various entities from misusing the actors’ personal attributes, including their names, images, and voices. They further highlighted that using technology, including AI, to depict them misleadingly or derogatorily constitutes a violation of privacy and dignity.
