Actor Manoj Bajpayee Moves Delhi High Court Seeking Personality Rights Protection Against AI Misuse

Actor Manoj Bajpayee has approached the Delhi High Court seeking comprehensive legal protection for his personality rights, citing the unauthorised commercial exploitation of his image, voice, and biometric identity by third-party entities. The 57-year-old national award-winning actor filed the lawsuit on Monday, prompting an initial hearing before Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav.

Senior Advocate Swathi Sukumar, representing the actor during the proceedings, outlined multiple instances of intellectual property misappropriation and synthetic identity replication. Legal filings identify several respondents, including H2PG Designs Private Limited, which allegedly utilised Bajpayee's photographs without permission to create commercial impressions that he endorsed or wore their manufactured suits. Additional grievances target entities deploying advanced artificial intelligence to clone his vocalisations and conversational chatbots incorporating distinctive traits of his personality.

During Monday's session, the bench scrutinised the jurisdictional basis of filing the lawsuit in the capital. Justice Kaurav questioned why Bajpayee chose to approach the Delhi High Court given that his primary residence and professional base are in Mumbai. Counsel Sukumar defended the filing by noting that several named defendants operate within Delhi, thereby establishing territorial jurisdiction for the court.

Addressing the rising influx of personality rights litigation, Justice Kaurav suggested streamlining administrative mechanisms for uncontested matters. The judge observed that routine enforcement actions where defendants fail to enter an appearance could potentially be handled efficiently by the court Registrar, avoiding the need for exhaustive judicial hearings and preventing unnecessary court congestion.

The court directed Bajpayee's legal team to compile a comprehensive record of interim and final orders issued in previous celebrity protection lawsuits. Counsel must submit documentation detailing how coordinate benches across various High Courts have adjudicated comparable claims involving synthetic media and unauthorised digital merchandising.

Bajpayee's legal action joins a growing body of celebrity litigation in the Delhi High Court aimed at curbing digital impersonation. Previous rulings have extended personality rights protection to numerous prominent figures across the entertainment and sports sectors, including actors Tabu, Allu Arjun, Mohanlal, Kajol, R Madhavan, Jr NTR, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan, Nagarjuna, Salman Khan, and Karan Johar, alongside athletes Yuvraj Singh, Abhishek Sharma, and Sunil Gavaskar, and singers and public preachers such as Jubin Nautiyal and Aniruddhacharya.

The High Court has scheduled further proceedings to evaluate the interim injunction requests and review the precedents submitted by counsel.