Delhi HC orders removal of 552 objectionable links involving Janhvi Kapoor

Bollywood actress Janhvi Kapoor has secured significant legal protection against the circulation of obscene and pornographic content using her identity online, with the Delhi High Court ordering the removal of 552 objectionable URLs.

The order came in a personality-rights lawsuit filed by Kapoor, who had sought court intervention against 6,884 URLs, social media accounts and other online content allegedly using her name, image or identity without permission.

The material cited in the case included pornographic content, fake accounts, AI-generated manipulated images, impersonation and commercial promotions using Kapoor’s identity.

However, the court declined to impose a blanket restriction on all the URLs, observing that such an order could be excessively broad.

A bench headed by Justice Anup Jairam Bhambhani directed that the content be considered in separate categories, including explicitly obscene or pornographic material, content commercially exploiting Kapoor's personality rights, and promotions using her name or likeness to sell products or services.

After an initial assessment, the court found 552 URLs containing highly objectionable and pornographic material allegedly featuring Kapoor without her consent. It held that she had established a strong prima facie case against the content and ordered the concerned parties to remove the links promptly.

The court, however, refused to treat all fan pages using Kapoor's name as unlawful. It noted that fan pages may contain legitimate material such as information about an actor’s films, performances, photographs, praise or criticism. Automatically blocking such pages solely because they use her name or image could amount to an unjustified restriction on freedom of expression.

The case also raised concerns over AI-generated deepfakes, fake social media profiles and the commercial exploitation of Kapoor's identity. The court stressed that such material should be assessed separately from legitimate fan activity.

Kapoor has recently appeared in the Telugu film Peddhi alongside Ram Charan and Shivarajkumar.