Actress Kajol has obtained an interim order from the Delhi High Court restraining unauthorized use of her name, likeness or likeness for commercial gain.
Actress Kajol has become the latest Bollywood celebrity to approach court to protect their personal rights. The Delhi High Court passed an interim order in her favour, prohibiting unauthorized use of her name, image, voice or like for commercial purposes.
As per ANI updates, Justice Jyoti Singh ordered that no individual or entity may exploit Kajol’s identity — including selling merchandise or creating digital content — without her consent. The order also extends to misuse through artificial intelligence and deepfake technologies, explicitly restricting the creation or circulation of fake videos or photos using their likeness. The court also ordered the removal of any obscene or indecent content appearing in it that may have been published online.
Growing concern among celebrities
Kajol joins a growing list of public figures who have sought legal protection for their identity amid rising misuse of celebrity photos and fake content. In recent months, stars like Vivek Oberoi, Salman Khan, Aishwarya Rai, Abhishek Bachchan, Amitabh Bachchan, Karan Johar, Rishabh Shetty, Jaya Bachchan, Hrithik Roshan and Akkineni Nagarjuna have filed similar applications in the courts.
Recently, the Bombay High Court issued similar orders against several members of the Bachchan family and other industry figures, promoting stronger safeguards against the commercial exploitation of celebrities’ identities without permission.
Meanwhile, singer Jubin Nautiyal has also filed a petition in the Delhi High Court seeking protection of his personal rights. However, the court questioned why the Uttarakhand-based artist did not approach a local court in his state. His counsel argued that the Delhi High Court was approached since key authorities like the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) are headquartered in the national capital. No order has yet been issued in this case.
Understanding personal rights
Personality rights refer to an individual’s legal right to control how their identity is used in public and commercial contexts. These rights protect attributes uniquely associated with a person, including their name, image, likeness, voice, signature, and even trademark phrases from being exploited without consent.
It is broadly divided into two components: the right of publicity and the right to privacy. The former protects against unauthorized commercial exploitation, such as using a celebrity’s face in advertising or merchandise, while the latter protects against violation of personal dignity, including abuse through deepfakes, transformed images, or fabricated endorsements.
Kajol’s latest work
On the professional front, Kajol was last seen Sarzamin (2025) alongside Prithviraj Sukumaran and Ibrahim Ali Khan. Before that, she appeared in water, Which was released in theaters on June 27, 2025.
Adrika Sominder is a writer, but first and foremost an avid reader. With her unwavering commitment to the craft, she is convinced that there is nothing else she was meant to do with her life. Away from the world of words, her hobbies include snacking and taking long trips.Read more
