Actor Abhishek Bachchan has joined the growing list of celebrities approaching courts for protection against misuse of their identity. On Tuesday, he filed a petition before the Delhi High Court seeking urgent protection of his publicity and personality rights. His plea demands blocking of offending websites, removal of infringing URLs, and strict directions to intermediaries like Google and YouTube to take down unlawful content, according to PTI.
Abhishek’s counsel argued that his name, image, and even AI-generated fake content were being used without authorisation, creating a false sense of endorsement and enabling online fraud.
“One such platform was even selling merchandise in his name, misleading users into believing it had his approval,” advocate Dhruv Anand told the court.
The petition also extends to “John Doe” defendants, a legal mechanism that covers unidentified parties who may in the future misuse his persona. Such injunctions have become common in intellectual property and celebrity rights cases, where courts seek to pre-empt both present and potential offenders.
Justice Tejas Karia, who heard the matter, asked Abhishek’s counsel to respond to certain queries and listed the case for further hearing at 2:30 pm.
The actor is being represented by a legal team comprising advocates Pravin Anand, Ameet Naik, Madhu Gadodia, and Dhruv Anand.
This legal step comes close on the heels of a similar move by his wife, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, who filed her plea just a day earlier. Her petition targeted the website aishwaryaworld.com and other infringers. Senior advocate Sandeep Sethi, representing Aishwarya, told the court that the website falsely projected itself as her “only authorised and official website,” published her personal details, used unauthorised images, and even sold merchandise like T-shirts priced up to Rs 3,100 and mugs featuring her likeness. He described the activity as “derogatory, defamatory, and a direct assault” on her dignity.
In recent years, Delhi High Court has recognised the gravity of such cases. Similar protection orders have already been granted to Amitabh Bachchan, Anil Kapoor, and Jackie Shroff, reflecting how courts are increasingly addressing the misuse of celebrity identity in the digital age.
For the Bachchans, these back-to-back petitions mark a coordinated legal push to safeguard their persona against rampant online exploitation. As Abhishek’s counsel stressed, the matter is not only about reputation but also about stopping a “larger trend of fraud” that exploits both celebrities and unsuspecting fans.
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