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The has granted actor Vijay Deverakonda an restraining the unauthorised use of his name, image, voice and other personality attributes, including through artificial intelligence, deepfakes and face-morphing technology. Justice Vikas Mahajan directed , and to remove, disable access to and permanently take down 94 identified links, including videos, reels, posts, accounts and channels allegedly misusing or imitating the actor's identity.
The court also ordered online marketplaces to delete specified infringing URLs within 72 hours of receiving a copy of the order, and directed domain name registrars to lock and suspend identified domains within the same period. The and the were asked to instruct internet and telecom service providers to block or remove access to listed websites within 72 hours, with compliance affidavits to follow within two weeks.
Finding a strong
case in the actor's favour, Justice Mahajan observed that Deverakonda's stature
"inherently grants him
over his personality and associated attributes"
, including the exclusive right to commercially exploit those attributes and to prevent unauthorised third-party use. The protection, the court said, also extends to offensive content that is abusive, vulgar or profane and tarnishes the actor's reputation, goodwill and brand value.
"The apprehension of dent and damage to the image and personality of the plaintiff,
, appears to be real and present,"
the court observed, holding that the
favoured
and that monetary damages alone would not adequately compensate the harm.
Fake profiles, morphed videos and rogue merchandise
Deverakonda sued several entities, online platforms, and unidentified persons described as , alleging widespread unauthorised commercial exploitation of his identity. The suit claimed that fake social media accounts, impersonation profiles and websites were falsely suggesting an association with or endorsement by the actor.
His counsel presented specific examples, including AI-generated and morphed videos on depicting the actor in obscene and derogatory scenarios, abusive posts on X, and mobile applications on the Play Store that exploited his personality attributes without consent. The suit also flagged unauthorised merchandise — T-shirts, mugs, stickers and an e-book — sold through , , and , along with wallpaper sites. Such material, the actor argued, misled the public and harmed his reputation, dignity and brand value.
Until the next hearing, the defendants are restrained from using the names "Vijay Deverakonda", "Vijay Devarakonda" and "Vijay Sai Deverakonda", his initials "VD", voice recordings, signature, fashion style, photographs, movie stills, performances and other identifiable attributes. The order expressly covers use through AI, generative AI, machine learning, deepfakes, face morphing and GIFs on any medium.
Strict 72-hour takedown deadlines
The order imposes tight compliance timelines on . Online marketplaces must take down listed URLs within 72 hours of service, and domain registrars must lock and suspend identified domains within the same window. The government has been directed to ensure internet and telecom service providers block access to the flagged websites, and the concerned entities must file compliance affidavits within two weeks.
The court built flexibility into the order: platforms may seek clarification if needed, and any website that considers itself wrongly blocked can approach the court with an undertaking not to infringe, allowing the injunction to be modified. Deverakonda may also report future infringing content to the relevant intermediary for action.
Standalone 'Rowdy' claim deferred
In a notable carve-out, the court declined to grant an against the standalone use of the colloquial name "Rowdy" on a basis. Justice Mahajan observed that evidence would be required to establish that the expression had acquired and a exclusively associated with the actor.
The court clarified, however, that combining the word with manipulated imagery would attract liability.
"However, using the AI generated/Morphed image of the plaintiff along with the expression 'Rowdy' will come within the ambit of violation of the
of the plaintiff,"
it said.
A growing line of personality-rights rulings
The decision extends a series of orders protecting celebrities against digital impersonation. In 2023, the court restrained the unauthorised use of Anil Kapoor's name, image, voice and likeness, including through AI-generated content, deepfakes and face morphing — a ruling widely regarded as a benchmark in the area. More recently, it protected Karan Johar, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan against AI-related misuse, and granted similar interim relief to Hrithik Roshan and Ajay Devgn. The Bachchans' lawsuits also highlighted concerns that deepfake videos could be used to train other AI models.
On the same day, the court issued summons and notices in a separate suit filed by actor and Member of Parliament Kangana Ranaut, who has challenged the circulation of fake news and obscene AI-generated content involving her. In that matter, the court scrutinised the flagged material and questioned whether some of it was satirical, signalling that not every takedown request would pass judicial muster.
The court issued notice to the defendants in Deverakonda's suit, directing them to file replies within four weeks. The matter is listed before the Joint Registrar on , for completion of service and pleadings, and will be heard by the court on . Until then, the remains in force.
