Mumbai, October 1, 2026: The Bombay High Court on Thursday directed Google, Meta Platforms and other online platforms to take down objectionable and unauthorised content using the name, photographs, voice and likeness of actor Samantha Ruth Prabhu, including AI-generated deepfakes.
Justice Madhav Jamdar passed the interim order while hearing a suit filed by Prabhu seeking protection of her personality and publicity rights. The court observed that the material placed before it, including morphed photographs, videos and deepfake content, prima facie violated the actor’s personality, publicity and moral rights.
Court Recognises Personality Rights
The court noted that Prabhu’s personality and publicity rights are protected under Articles 19(1)(a) and 21 of the Constitution. It said these provisions protect, among other things, her right to privacy, personal liberty and human dignity. Her moral rights as a performer are also separately protected under Section 38B of the Copyright Act, the court said.
The suit names 18 defendants, including global technology companies, social media platforms, AI developers, digital media organisations and government authorities. Meta Platforms, which operates Facebook and Instagram, Google, Amazon and several AI and digital platforms have been made parties. The plea also names unidentified persons as John Doe defendants.
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and Department of Telecommunications (DoT) have also been arrayed as respondents so that directions issued by the court can be implemented and enforced.
AI Misuse Alleged
Prabhu’s advocate submitted that the actor’s identity was being misused across several websites, social media platforms, pornographic portals and AI-based services. He pointed out that her photographs were being morphed and used to create obscene videos, images and audio clips through artificial intelligence.
The lawyer also highlighted the alleged use of interactive AI chatbots that objectified the actor and said the misuse of emerging technology had made it possible to create and circulate manipulated content on a large scale.
The court, after considering the submissions and material placed before it, granted ad-interim relief to Prabhu and directed the removal of the identified objectionable content.
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Online Platforms’ Obligations
The court also referred to the obligations of online intermediaries under Rule 3 of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021. It noted that intermediaries are required to exercise due diligence to prevent unauthorised publication of content and online harassment.
The order seeks to restrain further publication and circulation of content that unlawfully exploits Prabhu’s name, image, voice or likeness.
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