Delhi High Court Protects Actress Kajol's Personality Rights, Orders Takedown Of AI Deepfakes, Vulgar Chatbots

The Delhi High Court has granted an ex-parte ad-interim injunction to protect the personality rights of Bollywood actress Kajol Vishal Devgan, restraining the unauthorised use of her likeness in AI-generated deepfakes, vulgar chatbots, and commercial merchandise.Presiding over the matter, Justice Jyoti Singh on February, 2026, found that the actress had established a prima facie case for injunction, observing that the alleged unauthorised exploitation of her attributes impacts her right to...

Delhi High Court Protects Swami Ramdev's Personality Rights, Restrains AI Deepfakes

The Delhi High Court has recently granted an ex-parte ad-interim injunction in favour of yoga guru Swami Ramdev, restraining the unauthorised use of his name, voice, image, likeness and distinctive style in AI-generated deepfakes, fabricated endorsements and other commercial content. In an order dated February 18, 2026, Justice Jyoti Singh held that Ramdev had made out a prima facie case. The Court observed that the material placed on record showed exploitation of his personality rights. The...

MSMED Act Overrides Arbitration Clause; Jurisdiction Lies Where Supplier Is Located: Delhi High Court

The Delhi High Court recently reiterated that once a dispute is taken to a Micro and Small Enterprises Facilitation Council under the MSMED Act, jurisdiction to entertain challenges arising from those proceedings lies with courts at the location of the Council where the supplier is situated, even if the contract names a different arbitration seat. Dismissing the petition for want of territorial jurisdiction, Justice Jasmeet Singh held, "Since it is the Facilitation Council at Panchkula,...

Delhi High Court Quashes 15% TDS Certificate On SaaS Under India–US DTAA, Orders 2% Certificate

The Delhi High Court has quashed a 15% tax deduction at source (TDS) certificate issued under Section 197 of the Income Tax Act, in respect of payments made for Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) to a US-based company providing a web-based Vendor Management System (VMS) to Indian clients, including Infosys Ltd.A Division Bench of Justices Dinesh Mehta and Vinod Kumar held that the company had made out a prima facie arguable case on non-taxability under the India–US Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement...

Delhi High Court Upholds Arbitral Award, Says SAIL Cannot Deduct CENVAT Credit Shortfall Without Contractual Clause

Reiterating that courts cannot rewrite commercial contracts while exercising jurisdiction under Section 34 of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996, the Delhi High Court has upheld an arbitral award directing Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL) to refund Rs. 1.40 crore deducted from a contractor's final bill over an alleged shortfall in Minimum Guaranteed CENVAT Credit (MGCC). Justice Avneesh Jhingan held that interpretation of contractual clauses lies within the domain of the arbitral...

Patent Revocation Petition Survives Even If Patent Expires By Efflux Of Time: Delhi High Court

Holding that revocation operates retrospectively and in rem, the Delhi High Court has ruled that expiry of a patent does not render a pending revocation petition infructuous. A Division Bench of Justice C. Hari Shankar and Justice Om Prakash Shukla on Tuesday held “a revocation petition would be maintainable, and would continue to survive, even after the patent of which revocation is sought expires by efflux of time"The court further clarified that once revoked, the patent is “rendered...

Non-Declaration Of Gold At Green Channel Not Always Smuggling: Delhi High Court

The Delhi High Court has recently held that in a case of non-declaration of gold at the Green Channel which does not amount to smuggling, absolute confiscation may be disproportionate and redemption on payment of fine may be permitted.A Division Bench of Justices Nitin Wasudeo Sambre and Ajay Digpaul observed,“The release is permitted only upon payment of redemption fine and penalty, along with applicable duty. The orders under challenge therefore do not condone the violation and instead...

Delhi High Court Sets Aside Award Ordering Yamaha To Repurchase Unsold Dealership Stock

Holding that an arbitral tribunal cannot “rewrite the bargain between the parties” or grant relief contrary to the contract, the Delhi High Court on Tuesday upheld the setting aside of an award that had directed India Yamaha Motor Pvt. Ltd. to take back unsold dealership stock and refund its price with 16% annual interest. Dismissing the dealer's appeal under Section 37 of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996, a Division Bench of Justices Anil Kshetrapal and Amit Mahajan held that the...

Damages Awarded By Foreign Court Cannot Be Subject To FEMA, RBI Ceiling: Delhi High Court

The Delhi High Court on Monday held that damages awarded by a competent foreign court for breach of contract cannot be subjected to ceilings prescribed under the Foreign Exchange Management Act or RBI guidelines. “In my considered view, the amounts awarded by a competent Court, whether Indian or foreign, towards damages for breach of contract, cannot be subject to ceilings prescribed under FEMA and/or RBI directions/circulars,” Justice Amit Bansal observed while allowing execution of an English...

Delhi High Court Protects Singer Jubin Nautiyal's Personality Rights From Commercial Exploitation

The Delhi High Court has granted an ex-parte ad-interim injunction in favour of singer Jubin Nautiyal, restraining unauthorised commercial exploitation of his personality and publicity rights, including through artificial intelligence tools, deepfakes and voice cloning technologies. Justice Tushar Rao Gedela, in an order dated February 19, 2026, held: “In the considered opinion of this Court, the plaintiff has a prima facie strong case and having regard to his well-known, popular and...

Delhi High Court Questions 'Zora' Trademark Registration, Says Visually Similar To 'Zara'

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday questioned the Registrar of Trade Marks action allowing the registration of the mark “Zora,” observing that it is “visually, receptively similar beyond any doubt” to the global fashion brand “Zara”.The matter arises from a challenge filed by Industria De Diseño Textil, S.A., owner of the brand “Zara,” against an order of the Registrar of Trade Marks permitting registration of the mark “Zora” in Class 24, which covers textile goods and fabrics.Justice Jyoti...

"I Am Not A God": Godman Aniruddha Bapu Moves Delhi High Court To Restrain Devotees From Portraying Him With Gods

In what it described as a “very surprising suit,” the Delhi High Court on Tuesday heard a personality rights case filed by Mumbai-based godman Dr. Aniruddha Dhairyadhar Joshi, popularly known as Aniruddha Bapu, who is seeking to restrain his own followers from portraying him as a deity. Justice Tushar Rao Gedela remarked during the hearing, “Faith moves mountains… This is something very surprising. You have come up with a very surprising suit,” as the Court considered a plea that does not...