Aishwarya Rai Bachchan And Abhishek Bachchan Pursue Legal Action Over Personality Rights In Delhi High Court

Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan have initiated legal proceedings in Delhi High Court to protect their personality rights against unauthorized exploitation and impersonation online. Their case underscores the growing need for stronger digital protections for celebrities in India.

The digital world has opened doors for creativity—but also for exploitation. In recent weeks, two of Bollywood’s most recognisable faces, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan, found themselves at the centre of a legal battle to reclaim control over their identities. Both actors have knocked on the doors of the Delhi High Court, seeking protection of their personality rights—the right to control how their name, face, voice, and image are used.

Aishwarya Rai’s petition targets websites that falsely claim to represent her. One of them, aishwaryaworld.com, not only published her personal details but also sold mugs and T-shirts featuring her photos, priced as high as ₹3,100. Her lawyer, Sandeep Sethi, condemned the practice as “defamatory, derogatory, and a direct assault on her dignity.”

Abhishek Bachchan faced a different form of impersonation—unauthorised merchandise being sold under his name. His lawyer, Dhruv Anand, pointed out that such activities mislead fans into believing he endorses products he has no connection with.

As Supreme Court advocate Nipun Saxena explains, personality rights stem from the Copyright Act, giving actors proprietary ownership over their voice, face, body, and image. These rights are meant to protect them from being commercially exploited or digitally manipulated without consent.

To strengthen their case, both petitions also ask the court to issue “John Doe” injunctions—orders that apply not just to current offenders but to any future, unidentified parties who might attempt similar misuse.

When Abhishek’s plea was heard, Justice Tejas Karia asked his counsel to clarify certain points, scheduling the next round of arguments for the same afternoon. For now, the Bachchans’ legal teams—featuring heavyweights like Pravin Anand, Ameet Naik, Madhu Gadodia, and Dhruv Anand—are preparing to expand the scope of their petitions.

From AI-driven deepfakes to websites peddling fake endorsements, the misuse of celebrity identity online is rising rapidly. The Bachchans’ case is not just about one family’s fight—it signals a wider demand for stronger digital laws in India to protect public figures from the unauthorised use of their likeness in an era where technology blurs the line between real and fake.