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The Delhi High Court on Wednesday indicated that it will pass an interim injunction order in favour of filmmaker and producer Karan Johar in his plea seeking protection of his personality rights against alleged misuse of his name, images, and likeness on online platforms.
Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora, who is hearing the matter, observed that social media intermediaries, including Google, Meta, and X, would be required to provide Basic Subscriber Information (BSI) and IT log details related to the flagged accounts. The Court also issued summons to several entities named in Johar's main lawsuit, clarifying that some defendants were impleaded only for compliance and summons to them may be considered later. The judge orally remarked, "In the IA (interim relief application) I will pass a detailed order. Injunction to be granted." Johar approached the High Court recently, alleging rampant misuse of his persona across social media platforms and websites, including unauthorised fan pages, monetised meme accounts, and merchandise sales. Appearing for Johar, Senior Advocate Rajshekhar Rao submitted that the filmmaker's identity was being commercially exploited. "There is a line between making fun and exploitation. The more the memes, the more viral it is, and the more money you make. I have a right to ensure that none use my persona or characteristics without my consent," he argued. Justice Arora, while acknowledging these concerns, emphasised the need for a balanced approach, observing that memes were not necessarily disparaging and that the Court could not issue a blanket injunction. The Bench suggested categorising violations under specific heads such as disparagement, sale of merchandise, and misuse of domain names, to enable targeted orders. The Court also discussed a mechanism under which platforms may be directed to act within 24 hours of complaints, with Johar retaining the liberty to approach the Court again if adequate action was not taken. Previously, counsel for Meta Platforms, Advocate Varun Pathak, opposed broad orders, submitting that many flagged posts were neither defamatory nor harmful and warning that sweeping injunctions could affect ordinary users posting jokes or fan content. The matter will now proceed with the court set to pass a detailed interim order on Johar's interim application. (ANI)
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