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The Delhi High Court has directed e-commerce platforms and social media intermediaries to respond to a complaint filed by actor NTR Jr, who alleged widespread misuse of his identity across digital platforms.
The Delhi High Court on Monday took up a petition filed by Telugu actor Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao Jr (NTR Jr) seeking protection of his personality rights against the unauthorised use of his name, image, likeness, and other attributes of identity. Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora heard the matter. Senior Advocate J Sai Deepak, appearing for the actor, informed the Court that several e-commerce platforms and social media sites were hosting content that violated NTR Jr's personality rights. The material, he argued, was being used without consent for commercial gain and had proliferated across multiple digital spaces. After hearing the submissions, the Court directed e-commerce platforms and social media intermediaries to treat NTR Jr.'s lawsuit as a formal complaint under the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021. The companies have been asked to take appropriate action within three days. Justice Arora stated that the Court will revisit the matter on December 22, when a detailed and comprehensive order is expected. "We will pass the formal order on the next date," the judge remarked. The direction aligns with the Court's recent approach in personality rights matters, where it has emphasised that aggrieved parties must first exhaust statutory remedies available under the 2021 IT Rules by calling upon intermediaries to address grievances relating to derogatory or defamatory online content. Over the past few years, the Delhi High Court has become a leading judicial forum for the protection of personality rights. It has granted injunctions to several prominent figures, including Amitabh Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai, Nagarjuna, Anil Kapoor, Abhishek Bachchan and digital creator Raj Shamani, restraining misuse of their identity attributes. The Court has also been proactive in addressing issues arising from AI-generated impersonations and deepfakes, recognising these as violations of privacy, dignity, and commercial rights, while simultaneously ensuring that legitimate satire, commentary, and news reporting remain protected. NTR Jr, one of the most celebrated actors in Telugu cinema, is among the highest-paid performers in the Indian film industry. Regularly featured in Forbes India's Celebrity 100 list since 2012, he has appeared in 30 films and earned multiple honours, including three Filmfare Awards South, three CineMAA Awards, a SIIMA Award, an IIFA Award and two Nandi Awards. Popularly hailed as the "Man of the Masses," the actor enjoys a substantial fan following both within India and internationally. (ANI)
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