Delhi High Court Orders Action on Pawan Kalyan’s Rights Plea

The Delhi High Court has mandated social media intermediaries to address a plea from Pawan Kalyan, the Deputy Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, regarding the protection of his personality rights. The court issued this directive on December 15, 2023, emphasizing that Kalyan had previously raised his concerns with these platforms. Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora highlighted that a similar procedure had been applied in a case involving actor Ajay Devgn, wherein the court required that grievances be filed with the intermediaries before pursuing legal action.

The court instructed social media platforms to treat Kalyan’s complaint as a formal issue under the Information Technology (Intermediaries Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021. They are required to act on his request within seven days. Should the platforms have any objections regarding the links provided by Kalyan, they must inform him accordingly. Furthermore, Kalyan has been given 48 hours to submit the URLs of the content he wishes to have removed.

Kalyan, who is affiliated with the Janasena Party, approached the court to safeguard against the unauthorized use of his name and images on social media and e-commerce websites. His legal representative, senior advocate J Sai Deepak, stated that Kalyan is particularly troubled by artificial intelligence generated videos impersonating him, as well as misleading content circulating on platforms operated by Meta and various e-commerce sites.

Broader Context of Personality Rights Protection

The case involving Kalyan is not isolated. Other prominent figures in the Indian film industry, including Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Hrithik Roshan, and singer Kumar Sanu, have similarly sought legal recourse for the protection of their personality rights. Additionally, filmmaker Karan Johar, Telugu actor Akkineni Nagarjuna, journalist Sudhir Chaudhary, and podcaster Raj Shamani have also approached the high court for related issues, with the court granting them interim relief.

The growing trend of public figures seeking legal protection underscores the increasing concern over the misuse of personal images and information in the digital age. The court’s decision in Kalyan’s case reflects a broader recognition of the need for robust measures to safeguard individuals’ rights against unauthorized exploitation in online spaces.

The matter is set for further review on December 22, 2023, as the court continues to navigate the complexities of personality rights in the context of evolving digital landscapes.