The Bombay High Court passed an order protecting the personality rights of Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty, putting strict restrictions on the misuse of her identity online. In its ruling, the court restrained the defendants from using or misrepresenting the actress’s name, image, voice, likeness, or overall persona in any manner. The order also directs that any defamatory or infringing content circulating across digital platforms must be taken down immediately. By doing so, the court stated that the identity and reputation of a public figure cannot be commercially exploited or digitally manipulated without their permission.The ruling also places responsibility on digital platforms and intermediaries to act promptly in removing such unlawful material once it is brought to their notice. Reacting to the development, lawyer Sana Raees Khan, who is representing Shilpa in the matter, welcomed the decision and called it a significant step in tackling the growing issue of deepfakes.
She said, “The Bombay High Court has made it absolutely clear in Ms. Shilpa Shetty’s personality rights case that the internet cannot become a playground for deepfakes and digital impersonation. The Court has protected her personality rights and acknowledged that her name, image, voice, and persona are valuable legal rights which cannot be commercially exploited or digitally manipulated without her consent.”
“This order reinforces that digital platforms and intermediaries must act swiftly to remove such material and must restrain the misuse of technology that violates her dignity and reputation,” the lawyer went on to add.Shilpa had approached the Bombay HC in November 2025 seeking legal protection for her personality rights. During recent hearings, the court also raised concerns about the legal status of several artificial intelligence tools that simulate celebrity personalities without obtaining their consent. The actress is not the first celebrity to secure such legal protection. Earlier, several Bollywood personalities, including Kajol, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Shatrughan Sinha, Abhishek Bachchan, Vivek Oberoi and Salman Khan, also received court protection against the misuse of their identity and persona on the internet.