Now Reading: Delhi HC says personality rights ‘going out of hand’ in Janhvi Kapoor case
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Delhi HC says personality rights ‘going out of hand’ in Janhvi Kapoor case
Delhi HC says personality rights ‘going out of hand’ in Janhvi Kapoor case
The Delhi High Court on Wednesday observed that the concept of personality rights is 'going out of hand' and flagged concerns over free speech while hearing actor Janhvi Kapoor's plea against unauthorised…
The Story in Brief
The Delhi High Court on Wednesday observed that the concept of personality rights is 'going out of hand' and flagged concerns over free speech while hearing actor Janhvi Kapoor's plea against unauthorised commercial use of her name and image. Justice Anup Jairam Bhambhani limited potential relief to specific pornographic content directly monetising Kapoor's persona and declined a blanket takedown of fan pages, noting they may be critical or adulatory of a public figure.
Separately, a coordinate bench on Wednesday directed the removal of obscene content featuring actor Khushi Kapoor after she filed a similar suit. Inc42 reports that the court asked parties to help develop clearer contours for personality-rights cases, which have increasingly been invoked not only by Bollywood celebrities but also startup founders.
The Indian Opinion
The narrative that personality rights must be absolute to protect celebrities from digital abuse ignores the free-speech costs of broad injunctions. Fan pages, satire, and criticism are legitimate expression, not exploitation. The court's call to 'bring some sanity' is welcome. The real test will come when the court next hears the case on August 17 and tries to draw a line between a public figure's right to control her image and the public's right to talk about her.
Sources (2): inc42.com, timesnownews.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above.
