The Bombay High Court on Friday ordered the immediate removal of morphed, AI-generated, and deepfake content misusing actress Shilpa Shetty Kundra's image and likeness. The court granted interim relief, directing online platforms, websites, and unknown individuals to promptly delete or disable access to all offending images, videos, links, and URLs. This ruling comes after Shetty filed a plea seeking protection of her personality and privacy rights against unauthorized digital manipulation and online dissemination of her persona.^[1][2][3][4] ### Court Condemns "Disturbing" AI Content Justice Advait Sethna, presiding over a vacation bench, described the manipulated content as "prima facie extremely disturbing and shocking."^[5][1][2][3] The court noted that these materials involved manipulated visuals and deepfakes created using artificial intelligence, circulated without Shetty's consent.^[1][3] Shetty's lawsuit alleged that AI tools were used to clone her voice and mannerisms. This created morphed images, videos, books, and other merchandise without her authorization.^[2][3][6][7] The content also included inappropriate and unacceptable portrayals, some showing her in compromising positions, which the court called "abhorrent to say the least."^[7][8] The court stated that such portrayals could cause serious harm to her reputation, dignity, and personal autonomy.^[1][3] It observed that the misuse amounted to unlawful exploitation of her persona. This violated her right to control how her identity and likeness are represented publicly.^[1] ### Protecting Privacy and Dignity The Bombay High Court emphasized that no individual, especially a woman, should be portrayed in a manner that affects their fundamental right to privacy and dignity.^[1][2][3][4] This fundamental right is guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution.^[4][9] Justice Sethna remarked that a person's dignity cannot be publicly maligned or defamed without consent.^[10][11] He stressed that consent is essential for such publications.^[10] Shetty, a well-known film personality with millions of social media followers, experienced her image and reputation being tarnished by these deepfakes.^[3][8][9] The court's decision highlighted that technological innovation, including AI, cannot override constitutional protections of privacy and dignity.^[1][10] It firmly stated that blatant violations using technology and AI must be "nipped in the bud."^[10][11] Shetty's plea specifically sought to protect her personality rights, including her right to privacy and dignity, and her moral rights under the Copyright Act, 1957.^[4] ### Broader Implications for Digital Rights The court's interim order directed various social media platforms, AI-related entities, and other unnamed defendants to delete all infringing content.^[11][8] This includes specific URLs, links, and posts identified by Shetty's legal team.^[10][11] The court clarified that while it granted urgent interim relief to prevent further harm, broader questions regarding personality and publicity rights would be examined by a regular bench at a later stage.^[5][1][4][8] Shilpa Shetty also sought damages of ₹5 lakh from certain parties involved in the misuse of her images. T^[8][9]his ruling reinforces increasing judicial concern over the misuse of AI tools to create deepfake and morphed content. O^[1][10]ther Indian celebrities, including Asha Bhosle, Arijit Singh, and R Madhavan, have also recently approached the courts with similar complaints. T^{[3][7][12][13]}hese cases aim to protect their personality rights against harmful and unauthorized AI-generated content that damages their reputation. T^[7]he Bombay High Court has consistently upheld celebrity personality rights in the AI era. T^[7][12][13]his order serves as a significant step in safeguarding individuals' digital personhood and privacy in the evolving landscape of artificial intelligence. ^[11][12]

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