Ananya Panday Gets Bombay HC Protection Against AI Deepfakes, Unauthorised Use Of Photos

Ananya Panday has secured interim protection from the Bombay High Court against the unauthorised use of her identity, including photographs, AI-generated images and videos allegedly circulated without her consent. The court has also ordered the removal of objectionable material identified by the actress, marking another development in the growing number of celebrity personality-rights cases in India.

According to LiveLaw, Justice Madhav Jamdar passed the ad-interim order on Thursday, November 5, after Ananya approached the court seeking protection against the alleged misuse of her identity.

Ananya Panday's plea over AI deepfakes and photographs

Ananya's petition objected to the unauthorised use of her photographs and AI-generated content across digital platforms. After examining the material placed before it, the Bombay High Court found that a prima facie case had been made out in her favour.

Justice Jamdar held that the material prima facie violated the actor's right to privacy, publicity rights, moral rights and her right to live with dignity. The court consequently directed the deletion of the objectionable content identified in the proceedings. The relief is ad interim, meaning the matter will continue to be heard.

Rupali Ganguly and Kriti Sanon also secure court protection

Ananya is not the only actor to have sought legal recourse. On the same day, the Bombay High Court also ordered the removal of objectionable online content concerning Anupamaa actor Rupali Ganguly. Her plea reportedly alleged unauthorised use of photographs and videos, including AI-generated material created for commercial purposes.

A day earlier, the Delhi High Court had granted interim protection to Kriti Sanon against the alleged misuse of her name, image, likeness and voice. Her case involved sexually explicit deepfakes, impersonation accounts, AI chatbots and unauthorised merchandise. The court, however, clarified that legitimate news reports, reviews, criticism, satire, parody and fan expression were not covered by the restrictions.

Bollywood celebrities take legal action over personality rights

Several other actors, including Anil Kapoor, Amitabh Bachchan and Jackie Shroff, have previously approached courts over the unauthorised commercial use of their identities. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Allu Arjun have also been involved in personality-rights proceedings.

Ananya's order adds to the growing legal scrutiny of AI deepfakes and the use of celebrity identities online.