Delhi High Court to Rule on Karan Johar’s Personality Rights Plea on September 17
The filmmaker seeks legal protection against the unauthorised use of his name, image and persona on merchandise, websites and social media
The Delhi High Court will deliver its order on September 17 on a plea filed by filmmaker-producer Karan Johar, who is seeking legal protection of his personality and publicity rights.
Justice Manmeet P. S. Arora said on Monday that the order would address a series of issues raised by Johar, including the alleged unauthorised sale of merchandise bearing his name and likeness, domain name misuse, impersonation, fake profiles and obscene content circulating online.
Johar’s petition asks the court to direct several websites and platforms to stop selling items such as mugs and T-shirts carrying his image or name without his consent. The filmmaker argues that the commercial exploitation of his persona is not only unlawful but also harms his reputation. “I have a right to ensure that no one unauthorisedly uses my persona, face or voice,” said senior advocate Rajshekhar Rao, who is representing Johar.
The case comes amid a growing trend of Indian celebrities turning to the courts to assert their personality rights. Earlier this year, actors Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan secured similar legal protection against unauthorised commercial use of their names and likenesses.
During the hearing, counsel representing Meta Platforms — which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp — argued against any sweeping restrictions on user content, warning that a blanket ban could trigger a flood of litigation. “These are ordinary people having comments and having discussions. Most of them are satire and jokes and not defamatory,” the counsel said.
The court’s upcoming decision is expected to clarify the scope of personality rights in India and could set an important precedent for how public figures protect their identities in the digital era, particularly on social media and e-commerce platforms. This is the latest in a series of cases where Indian courts have stepped in to protect celebrity personality rights, following similar orders in favour of Amitabh Bachchan, Jackie Shroff and Anil Kapoor.