Top News

Actor Tabu has secured interim protection from the Delhi High Court against allegedly obscene, pornographic and derogatory content circulating online in her name. The court has directed major digital platforms, including Meta, Google, X and Reddit, to remove identified infringing webpages and posts within 36 hours.  The order was passed by Justice Jyoti Singh on August 6 after Tabu approached the court seeking protection of her personality and publicity rights. Her plea raised concerns over the unauthorised use of her name, image, likeness and other elements associated with her public identity, including allegedly AI-generated obscene material.

What Did Delhi High Court Order In Tabu’s Case?

The court directed intermediaries to take down the webpages identified as violating Tabu’s personality rights within 36 hours. The order also covers certain social media posts and links uploaded or circulated through platforms including Facebook, Instagram and Reddit. Importantly, the court has also directed the intermediaries to provide Basic Subscriber Information and IP log details of individuals who allegedly uploaded the disputed content anonymously. The information is to be disclosed within three weeks, according to the order.

Tabu had also raised concerns about the unauthorised commercial exploitation of her identity, including the use of her name and image on merchandise and false bookings for performances.

Why Tabu’s Personality Rights Matter

The court noted Tabu’s standing as a celebrated actor with a career spanning more than three decades. It observed that her name, stage name “Tabu”, image, voice, likeness and other personality attributes have acquired distinctiveness and are immediately associated with her by the public.  The case comes amid a growing number of Indian celebrities turning to courts over AI-generated content, deepfakes, impersonation and unauthorised commercial use. Courts have recently issued similar protections involving actors and public figures, underlining the growing legal battle over celebrity identity in the digital age.

The matter will be heard next on December 7.