After Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Kumar Sanu and Nagarjuna, Salman Khan moves Delhi High Court seeking protection of personality, publicity rights

Bollywood superstar Salman Khan has moved the Delhi High Court seeking protection of his personality and publicity rights, joining a growing list of public figures pushing back against the unauthorised commercial use of celebrity identity.

According to India Today report, the petition is scheduled for hearing on December 11 before Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora.

Salman Khan seeks curbs on misuse of name, image, voice

In his plea, Khan has requested the court to restrain multiple social media platforms, websites and e-commerce companies from using his name, photograph, voice, likeness or any identifiable aspect of his persona without prior consent.

According to the petition, such unauthorised exploitation not only infringes the actor’s personality rights but also misleads the public by creating false endorsements or associations, allowing third parties to profit from his reputation.

What are personality and publicity rights?

Personality or publicity rights grant an individual the legal ability to control and commercially benefit from the use of their name, image, likeness, voice, or other defining personal attributes. These protections have gained heightened relevance in the age of deepfakes, AI-generated content, impersonation scams and unlicensed celebrity-themed merchandise.

Court gives intermediaries three days

In a major legal boost for Bollywood superstar Salman Khan, the Delhi High Court on Thursday directed social media intermediaries to remove within three days all content, including fake news, violating the actor's personality and publicity rights.

Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora directed social media intermediaries to treat the petition filed by actor Salman Khan as a complaint and act within three days as per the rules.

The court stated that it will soon issue a stay order regarding non-social media platforms violating the actor’s personality and publicity rights.

Sandeep Sethi, representing Salman Khan, informed the court about social media platforms that are consistently violating his personality rights, as well as the prevalence of fake news and misleading content. He also informed the court that a phone maker has allowed the download of an application that infringes on the actor's rights.

Also citing AI chatbots and content on e-marketplace platforms he claimed that they are inappropriately using Khan's name and persona.

A rising trend of celebrity legal action

Salman Khan’s petition comes amid a wave of similar legal moves by high-profile personalities seeking to safeguard their identity in the digital and AI-driven landscape.

In recent weeks, the Delhi High Court has granted interim protection to several celebrities, including:

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan

Abhishek Bachchan

Jaya Bachchan

Hrithik Roshan

Ajay Devgn

Karan Johar

Kumar Sanu

Nagarjuna

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Sudhir Chaudhary

Raj Shamani



Meanwhile, Telugu superstar Jr NTR has also approached the court with a similar plea, and an order in his case is awaited.

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