Highlights
- Naga Chaitanya has sought protection of his personality rights in the Delhi High Court
- The actor has objected to AI-generated, manipulated and pornographic content using his identity
- His legal team flagged material alleging he cheated on Samantha Ruth Prabhu and damaged her career
- The matter has been listed for further hearing on September 30
Actor seeks protection against misuse of identity
Telugu actor Naga Chaitanya has approached the Delhi High Court seeking protection of his personality rights, raising concerns over the alleged unauthorised use of his name, image and likeness across online platforms.
The suit targets a range of content, including unauthorised merchandise, AI-generated material, deepfakes and allegedly defamatory posts that the actor claims have harmed his reputation and public image.
Legal team flags claims involving Samantha Ruth Prabhu
During the hearing before Justice Jyoti Singh, senior advocate Vaibhav Gaggar, appearing for Chaitanya, argued that several websites were using the actor's name alongside explicit search terms to drive traffic and circulate objectionable material.
Among the concerns raised in court was content relating to Chaitanya's former marriage to Samantha Ruth Prabhu. His lawyer specifically objected to posts and videos alleging that the actor had cheated on Samantha and ruined her career.
Arguing against such material, Gaggar told the court that it amounted to trolling rather than fair criticism.
Chaitanya and Samantha were married in 2017 before announcing their separation in 2021.
Court hears concerns over deepfakes and explicit content
According to the actor's legal team, one of the most serious issues involves AI-generated videos and manipulated content allegedly depicting Chaitanya in objectionable situations.
The suit claims that artificial intelligence tools, voice-cloning software, deepfake technology and other digital manipulation techniques have been used to create and distribute fabricated audiovisual content for commercial purposes.
His lawyers argued that such content has affected the actor's dignity, privacy and professional standing.
The court was also shown examples of merchandise allegedly using Chaitanya's image without authorisation.
His legal team highlighted his standing as one of Telugu cinema's leading actors and noted that personality rights protection had previously been granted to his father, Nagarjuna.
Several YouTube videos concerning the actor were also brought to the court's attention. While some links had reportedly been removed, others linked to news reports remained available online.
Court notes limits to public scrutiny
During the proceedings, the court observed that public figures inevitably face greater scrutiny than private individuals, but added that such scrutiny is not without boundaries.
The judge also reportedly described one of the disputed links as "borderline" while hearing arguments on the matter.
Chaitanya's legal team urged the court to consider a dynamic injunction, arguing that similar content continues to appear online on a regular basis.
Hearing scheduled for September
The Delhi High Court has issued summons in the case and indicated that it will pass an interim order. The matter is scheduled to be heard again on September 30.
Since his divorce from Samantha, Chaitanya has married actress Sobhita Dhulipala, while Samantha is married to filmmaker Raj Nidimoru.
