In a significant legal victory for actor and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Member of Parliament Ravi Kishan, the Delhi High Court has passed an ex parte ad interim injunction to protect his personality and publicity rights. Justice Jyoti Singh issued the order on July 2, 2026, restraining various individuals, websites, and online platforms from the unauthorized use of Kishan’s name, image, voice, and other distinctive personality attributes.
The lawsuit, filed by Ravindra Shukla—professionally known as Ravi Kishan—highlighted a pervasive pattern of identity misuse across the digital landscape. Kishan alleged that numerous social media accounts and websites had been exploiting his public persona through:
- AI and Deepfakes: The creation and circulation of AI-generated videos, including those mocking his speech and diction.
- Obscene Content: The use of his name and image to host or tag pornographic and sexually explicit material, which he argued caused irreparable damage to his reputation.
- Fabricated Narratives: The dissemination of fake political statements and the distortion of his identity to falsely portray him as a “political middleman”.
The Court’s order explicitly extends to the use of emerging technologies, including Artificial Intelligence, Generative AI, Machine Learning, and deepfake tools, across all virtual and social media platforms.
Justice Jyoti Singh observed that Kishan, having built a significant career spanning over three decades with appearances in over 750 films, possesses exclusive rights over the commercial exploitation of his identity. The Court reiterated that personality rights are judicially recognized and deserve protection from unauthorized commercial appropriation, particularly when such content tarnishes an individual’s dignity and privacy.
The bench noted that the plaintiff had established a prima facie case, and that the balance of convenience lay in his favour. Failure to grant this interim protection could result in irreparable injury to the actor-politician’s goodwill and public standing.
In an era where digital manipulation and artificial intelligence have made the unauthorized use of public figures’ identities easier than ever, actor and Member of Parliament Ravi Kishan has taken a firm legal stand. By recently securing an interim injunction from the Delhi High Court to protect his personality rights, Kishan has officially joined a growing league of Indian cinema icons—including Salman Khan, Amitabh Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Arjun Kapoor, Varun Dhawan, Allu Arjun and others who are fighting back against the misuse of their likeness.
Beyond the immediate restraint on defendants, the Court has issued clear directives for the removal of infringing content:
- Initial Compliance: Defendants and domain name registrars must remove the specific URLs identified in the suit within three days of receiving the order.
- Intermediary Responsibility: If defendants fail to comply, technology platforms including Meta Platforms Inc., Google LLC, and X Corp. are required to disable access to the offending URLs within 72 hours of receiving intimation from the plaintiff.
The case, Ravindra Shukla Alias Ravi Kishan v. Ashok Kumar (John Doe) & Ors., is now listed for further proceedings before the Joint Registrar on August 13, 2026, while the application for a permanent interim injunction is scheduled for hearing on October 16, 2026.
