Delhi HC protects Sudhir Chaudhary’s personality rights, orders deepfake content removal

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The Delhi High Court has granted interim relief to senior TV journalist Sudhir Chaudhary, restraining the dissemination of AI-generated deepfake videos misusing his image, likeness, and voice. The court directed X (formerly Twitter), YouTube, and other platforms to identify and remove the content within 48 hours, recognising it as a violation of personality and publicity rights.

Justice Anish Dayal, hearing the petition, stated that the videos “distort and impersonate the petitioner’s identity in a manner that misleads the public and harms professional reputation.” The order prohibits the creation, sharing, or reposting of such manipulated content by unidentified individuals — referred to as ‘John Doe’ defendants.

Chaudhary’s legal counsel argued that the deepfakes not only misrepresented his editorial positions but also eroded audience trust. The court agreed that misuse of AI-generated media can have serious implications for journalism and public discourse.

This case follows a string of similar rulings protecting public figures, including Asha Bhosle, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, whose likenesses were recently targeted by AI deepfakes. Experts see these interim orders as part of an evolving legal framework addressing the ethical and reputational threats posed by generative AI.

The matter will next be heard in November, with the court likely to examine platform accountability mechanisms for preventing recurrence of such misuse.