Delhi High Court Protects Actor-BJP MP Kangana Ranaut's Personality Rights, Orders Meta To Remove AI Deepfakes

Justice Vikas Mahajan also ordered the offending sites to be blocked. The Court found that her stature “inherently grants her proprietary rights over her personality and associated attributes”.

Ranaut, an actor, producer and sitting Member of Parliament for Mandi in Himachal Pradesh, sued Meta and others where she said fabricated statements, manipulated videos and AI-generated images were circulating on social media, falsely showing her in inappropriate situations and making statements she never made.

She also listed URLs of AI-generated sexual and explicit deepfakes. She said the harm is greater because she is a sitting MP, and asked for a “dynamic injunction”, since operators create mirror, cloned and replacement accounts once the originals are reported or removed.

The Court said the protection “includes protection to the plaintiff against such instances of impugned content, involving AI-generated/morphed, sexual, and explicit deepfakes”.

It noted that Rule 3(1)(b)(ii) of the IT (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 requires intermediaries not to host obscene or pornographic content. It said that Ranaut had identified two specific fabricated quotes, supported by her affidavit, and that they “cannot be permitted to remain available on social media platform”, as they also fall under Rule 3(1)(b)(v).

It also noted a fact-check report that certified one picture as fake. Her counsel did not press for removal of a satirical meme she had filed, so it was left out of the order.

Finding a prima facie case, the Court said “the apprehension of dent and damage to the image and personality of the plaintiff, prima facie, appears to be real and present.”

Until the next hearing, the defendants are restrained from using her name, image, likeness, voice, speeches, signature or persona without authorisation.

Meta must take down the 18 listed links (mostly Instagram posts, reels and accounts) and the other content she filed, within 72 hours of being sent the order, and file a compliance affidavit in two weeks.

MeitY and the Department of Telecommunications must direct internet and telecom providers to block access to the listed sites within 72 hours, also with a compliance affidavit in two weeks.

Defendants may seek clarification on whether a link is covered, and a website blocked despite not being primarily infringing may approach the Court with an undertaking not to infringe her personality rights.

Ranaut may also notify further infringing URLs she finds, and the defendants must remove them without a fresh suit.

The suit now goes before the Joint Registrar on December 4, 2026 and before the Court on February 3, 2027.

For Kangana Ranaut: Advocates Saket Sikri, Anasuya Choudhary, Prakhar Khana, Vikalp Mudgal, Shameen Yaser and Sudha Pradhan

For Defendants: CGSC Satya Ranjan Swain with G.P. Naveen and Advocates Sanskar Gupta, Tushar Hazrati and Kautilya Birat for D-10 & 11.