NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court has agreed to consider relief for actor Janhvi Kapoor against obscene content, commercial misuse of her name and unauthorised use of her image.
However, the court refused to issue a blanket order covering all 6,884 URLs listed by Kapoor in her personality rights case.
Justice Anup Jairam Bhambhani said the court must examine the URLs individually before granting wider relief.
Delhi High Court Reviews 6,884 URLs
Janhvi Kapoor filed the case against several unknown defendants. The case also names Meta, AI chatbot platforms, e-commerce websites, a domain registrar and government authorities.
Kapoor wants authorities to remove fake social media accounts, AI-generated images, unauthorised merchandise and allegedly exploitative fan pages.
Her lawyers told the court that the case started with a small number of URLs. The list later grew to 6,884 links.
The judge questioned the growing number of URLs.
“It is going out of hand,” Justice Bhambhani said. He added that the court could not deal with such a large list through one blanket order.
Court Identifies Three Types of Content
The court said it may consider interim relief for three specific types of content.
These include:
- Obscene or pornographic content
- Content that directly makes money from Kapoor’s personality rights
- Content that uses her name or image to sell products or services
The judge, however, said the court could not issue a blanket order even for these categories at this stage.
Kapoor’s lawyers must now prepare a table showing the relevant URLs and the defendants linked to each URL.
Court Orders Action on 573 URLs
The court separately examined the first 573 URLs that allegedly contained obscene or pornographic material.
Justice Bhambhani directed the concerned government authorities to issue the required notifications for removing those links.
The court will examine the remaining material during further hearings.
Court Refuses to Shut Down Fan Pages
Kapoor’s lawyers also raised concerns about several fan pages.
They said some pages posted obscene or highly suggestive photographs of the actor. They also claimed that some page operators asked for paid promotions.
The lawyers further argued that Meta could generate advertising revenue from pages that attract large audiences.
Meta opposed a blanket order against fan pages.
The company argued that fan pages can serve many purposes. Some may show admiration, while others may involve criticism, satire or commentary.
Meta also argued that some fan-page operators may earn a living from their pages. It said courts should not treat every fan page as an impersonation account.
The judge agreed that the court should not remove fan pages simply because they use Kapoor’s name or photographs.
Court Questions ‘Misleading’ Content Claim
The court also rejected the idea of blocking content simply because Kapoor described it as “misleading.”
Justice Bhambhani called the term subjective.
“Misleading is a very, very value-loaded word,” the judge said.
The court also warned against using personality rights as a broad tool to remove content.
Copyright Issue Over Kapoor’s Photos
The hearing also covered photographs taken by third parties.
Kapoor’s lawyers argued that businesses could still exploit her personality by using such photographs for commercial purposes.
The judge questioned how personality rights would apply when another person owns the copyright to the photograph.
This issue could affect the use of celebrity photographs on social media, websites and commercial products.
Janhvi Kapoor Challenges Unauthorised Merchandise
Kapoor also challenged the sale of merchandise featuring her photographs.
Her lawyers argued that businesses could use her image to promote products without her permission. They said such use could also create the false impression that Kapoor supports or endorses a particular brand.
The court indicated that commercial use of a celebrity’s name or image could qualify for protection. However, it wants to examine the individual cases before issuing wider orders.
Delhi High Court to Hear Case Again on August 17
The Delhi High Court has listed the case for further hearing on August 17.
The court will consider the remaining URLs and arguments at the next hearing.
The petitioner’s legal team includes Asav Rajan and Abha Shah of India Law.
The case could have wider implications for celebrity personality rights in India. It may also shape how courts deal with AI-generated images, fan pages, online impersonation and the commercial use of celebrity names and photographs.
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