Amid growing concerns around the protection of celebrity personality rights in the film industry, actor Shilpa Shetty Kundra has now secured legal relief from the Bombay High Court. The court recently issued an order safeguarding the actor’s personality rights and preventing their misuse online.According to the ruling, the defendants have been restrained from using or misrepresenting Shilpa Shetty Kundra’s name, image, voice, likeness, or overall persona in any form. The court also directed that any defamatory or infringing material circulating across digital platforms be removed immediately. The order reinforces that a public figure’s identity and reputation cannot be exploited commercially or misused digitally without proper consent.Confirming the development, Shilpa’s lawyer Sana Raees Khan said, “The Bombay High Court has made it absolutely clear in Ms Shilpa Shetty’s Personality Rights case that the internet cannot become a playground for deepfakes and digital impersonation. The Court has protected her personality rights and acknowledged that her name, image, voice and persona are valuable legal rights which cannot be commercially exploited or digitally manipulated without her consent.”She further emphasised the responsibility of online platforms in such matters, adding, “This order reinforces that digital platforms and intermediaries must act swiftly to remove such material and must restrain the misuse of technology that violates her dignity and reputation.”With this ruling, Shilpa joins several other Bollywood personalities who have approached the courts to safeguard their identity against online misuse. Celebrities such as Kajol, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan, Shatrughan Sinha, Vivek Oberoi and Salman Khan have also previously received similar legal protection.Shilpa had initially moved the Bombay High Court in November 2025, seeking safeguards for her personality rights. During a hearing last week, the court also raised questions about the legality of artificial intelligence tools that recreate celebrity personalities without their permission.As reported by Bar and Bench, the court expressed concern over platforms that generate AI-based versions of actors and allow users to interact with them without obtaining approval from the individuals involved.The matter was heard by Justice Sharmila Deshmukh. In her petition, Shilpa had requested restrictions on several platforms accused of hosting or enabling content where her deepfake images and digital likeness were being used without consent. The court subsequently questioned the legality of such platforms and directed them to submit a detailed response explaining their position.
