Calcutta High Court Grants Temporary Injunction To Protect Actor Prosenjit Chatterjee's Personality Rights

The Calcutta High Court has granted an interim injunction to safeguard the personality rights of actor Prosenjit Chatterjee, restraining Masala Mamaji and another defendant from using his name or photographs, including those generated through Artificial Intelligence (AI), to imply his endorsement of their products without any agreement with him.

On March 11, 2026, Justice Arindam Mukherjee held, “However, keeping in mind the stature of the plaintiff and that his image may be tarnished by indiscriminate use of his photographs to portray that he is associated with the products of entities who have no agreement or arrangement with him, a limited protection is granted to the plaintiff at this stage. This limited protection is to prevent multiplicity of judicial proceedings and in view of the fact that refusing an order of restraint will create more inconvenience and cause further prejudice to the plaintiff.”

The court noted that the plaintiff is a renowned personality in the national film circuit and observed that granting limited protection at this stage was necessary to prevent multiplicity of judicial proceedings, adding that refusal of a restraint order would cause further prejudice to him.

Chatterjee alleged before the Court that the defendants had used his photographs, some of which were generated through AI technology, to represent to the public that he was associated with them or their products without his consent. He contended that such unauthorised use infringes his personality and personal rights protected under Article 21 of the Constitution, as well as his rights under Section 57 of the Copyright Act, 1957 and Section 35 of the Specific Relief Act, 1963.

He further stated that he has no arrangement or agreement with any of the defendants permitting them to display his photograph or name so as to suggest any association with their products.

Considering the prayer for interim relief, the court recorded that the application had been moved ex parte and therefore the plaintiff's assertion that no agreement exists with the defendants could not be controverted at this stage.

The Court observed that although an injunction may cause hardship to the defendants if they are later able to show that such an agreement exists, the stature of the plaintiff and the possibility of damage to his image justified granting limited protection for the present.

Accordingly, the Court restrained Masala Mamaji and another, who were found to have used the plaintiff's photographs or videos to represent that he was associated with them or their products, from using his name or likeness without any arrangement or agreement with him. The restraint will remain in force till March 27, 2026.

The matter has been made returnable on March 24, 2026, when the defendants will be entitled to seek vacating of the order by placing cogent material before the court.