Highlights:
- Actor seeks urgent protection of her personality and publicity rights.
- Court signals ad-interim injunction against defendants misusing her name and likeness.
- Plea highlights disturbing AI-generated pornographic images circulating online.
- Next hearing scheduled before joint registrar on 7 November and full court on 15 January 2026.
Bollywood star Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has approached the Indian court to safeguard her personality rights after discovering that her name, photographs, and digitally manipulated images were being misused online. The actor’s petition draws attention to the rise of AI-generated pornographic content, calling it a grave violation of her dignity and privacy. Justice Tejas Karia has indicated that an ad-interim order may be passed to restrain the defendants from further misuse.
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has approached the court over misuse of her AI-generated images Getty Images
Why did Aishwarya Rai Bachchan file a Delhi High Court case?
Rai Bachchan’s plea, filed through senior advocate Sandeep Sethi along with lawyers Pravin Anand and Dhruv Anand, alleges the unauthorised use of her name, image, likeness, and voice for commercial gain and objectionable content. The petition states that manipulated visuals, created through deepfake and artificial intelligence tools, were being circulated online in sexually explicit form.
Sethi told the court: “Her name and image are being used to satisfy someone’s sexual desires. This is very unfortunate.” He argued that fabricated intimate images were being exploited without her knowledge or consent, amounting to a severe breach of her rights.
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan seeks protection of her personality rights against deepfake pornographic contentGetty Images
Who has been named in Aishwarya Rai’s plea?
The petition lists a mix of websites, companies, and online platforms allegedly misusing her identity. These include sites like aishwaryaworld.com, apkpure.com, bollywoodteeshop.com, and kashcollectiveco.com, which sell merchandise using her photos without authorisation.
Other names include Etsy, the organisation Aishwarya Nation Wealth Motivational Speaker, a chatbot using her persona, and YouTube channels such as @NewNWSTamil and @Bollywood_CinemaTV07. Tech giant Google LLC has also been mentioned as a respondent, along with the Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and the Department of Telecommunications.
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan moves to court over AI misuse of her imageGetty Images
What are personality rights and why do they matter?
Personality rights, also referred to as publicity rights, allow individuals to control the use of their name, likeness, image, voice, and unique style. In India, several film stars have turned to the courts to enforce these rights in recent years.
Anil Kapoor obtained a Delhi High Court order in 2023 to stop unauthorised use of his name, voice, and iconic catchphrase “jhakaas”. Amitabh Bachchan also secured protection against misuse of his persona. Jackie Shroff has taken similar steps.
For Rai Bachchan, whose global profile extends far beyond Indian cinema, the petition is both a personal defence and a wider statement on protecting celebrities from digital exploitation.
When will the case be heard next?
The court has listed the matter before the joint registrar on 7 November 2025 and for a further hearing on 15 January 2026. Justice Tejas Karia noted that while broad reliefs were sought, injunctions may have to be issued individually against each defendant. The court is also considering whether specific URLs should be submitted for takedown under the Blocking and Screening Instructions framework.
Until then, an ad-interim injunction is expected to temporarily restrain platforms and individuals from exploiting Rai Bachchan’s identity.
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan files case saying AI deepfake porn exploited her name and face without consentGetty Images
A wider concern about AI in Bollywood
The case brings to light the growing challenge of AI deepfakes in India’s entertainment industry. As technology becomes easier to access, actors and public figures face increasing risks of their image being manipulated without consent. For female stars in particular, the creation of pornographic deepfakes represents a profound threat to dignity and safety online.
By taking legal action, Rai Bachchan joins a growing list of celebrities using the courts to set boundaries on digital misuse. Her case may become a landmark moment in shaping India’s legal framework around personality rights in the age of artificial intelligence.
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