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The on granted protection to actor Vijay Deverakonda, restraining the of his name, image, voice, and other distinctive attributes, including through artificial intelligence-generated , , and . Justice Vikas Mahajan directed social media platforms, e-commerce websites, and domain name registrars to take down identified infringing material and block access to offending websites within 72 hours.
The court issued in the suit filed by Deverakonda and ordered the defendants, including unidentified persons described as , to respond to his plea for an . The matter will be heard next on .
Deverakonda, a leading Telugu film actor known for his role in "Arjun Reddy" and his association with the nickname "Rowdy", approached the court alleging widespread online misuse of his personality. His complaint covered impersonation accounts on Instagram, AI-generated and deepfake videos on YouTube, abusive posts on X, unauthorised merchandise such as T-shirts and mugs on , , , and , mobile applications on the Google Play Store, and fake websites offering wallpapers and e-books without his consent.
The actor contended that such misuse not only led to unearned commercial gain for the defendants but also harmed his reputation, particularly through obscene and derogatory content published after his marriage in February 2026.
Court's Findings on
Justice Mahajan, after perusing the plaint and hearing senior advocate
for the plaintiff, observed that Deverakonda had established a strong
for the protection of his
. The court noted that the actor's stature
"inherently grants him
over his personality and associated attributes"
, conferring the exclusive right to exploit those attributes commercially and to protect them from unauthorised third-party use.
The court further held that this protection extends to offensive content that is "abusive, vulgar, and profane" and tarnishes the actor's reputation and brand value.
"The apprehension of dent and damage to the image and personality of the plaintiff, prima facie, appears to be real and present,"
the court observed while finding that the
tilted in favour of Deverakonda and that
could not be compensated in monetary terms.
The 'Rowdy' Distinction
The court, however, drew a line on one aspect of the plaintiff's claim. Deverakonda had sought an injunction against the use of the colloquial term "Rowdy", which originated from his character in "Arjun Reddy" and has become closely associated with his public persona. Justice Mahajan declined to grant an on the standalone use of "Rowdy" on a , holding that evidence would be required to establish that the expression had acquired or a exclusively associated with the actor.
Yet the court clarified that the pairing of an AI-generated or morphed image of Deverakonda with the word "Rowdy" would amount to a violation of his
.
"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,"
the order stated.
Platforms Given 72-Hour Deadline
The court's operative directions are sweeping. Until the next hearing, all defendants — including — are restrained from using Deverakonda's name (in its various spellings), initials "VD", voice recordings, signatures, fashion style, photographs, movie stills, performances, and any other attributes exclusively identifiable with him. The restraint covers use through artificial intelligence, generative AI, machine learning, , face morphing, GIFs, and any physical or virtual medium.
(which operates Instagram and Facebook), (which operates YouTube and the Google Play Store), and (formerly Twitter) were directed to remove, disable access to, and permanently take down the specific infringing content listed in Annexure-A to the order. This includes videos, reels, posts, accounts, and channels that unlawfully use or imitate the actor's persona.
E-commerce platforms , , , and were directed to take down the URLs listed against their names within 72 hours of receiving a copy of the order and to file within two weeks. Domain name registrars were ordered to lock and suspend the identified domains within the same period.
Additionally, the and the were directed to issue notifications to all internet service providers and telecom service providers to to the infringer websites listed in the annexure within 72 hours, with to follow within two weeks.
The court permitted the intermediaries to approach Deverakonda for clarification on how the identified URLs are covered by the order. It also allowed any website that is not primarily infringing but has been blocked or locked to approach the court with an , after which the injunction could be modified.
Next Steps
The court issued notice to the defendants and granted them four weeks to file replies to the interim application. Rejoinders are to be filed before the next date. The matter will be taken up by the Joint Registrar on , for completion of service, pleadings, admission and denial of documents, and marking of exhibits. The next hearing before the court is scheduled for .
Deverakonda is at liberty to bring any future infringing posts or videos to the attention of the respective intermediaries or to seek legal recourse as advised.
The order adds to a growing body of rulings protecting celebrity in the digital age, including earlier orders in favour of Anil Kapoor, Karan Johar, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan, Ravi Kishan, and others. The court's approach signals a firm stance against the commercial exploitation of celebrity identity through emerging technologies such as AI and .
