‘Article 19 right cannot be taken away’: Delhi HC reserves order in Raghav Chadha’s personality rights case | Today’s news
The Delhi High Court on Thursday reserved its decision on an interim measure sought by Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha in a lawsuit alleging misuse of his personality rights through AI-generated deepfakes, altered visuals and doctored social media posts, ANI reported.
The case was heard by Justice Subramonium Prasad, who orally observed that the material presented to the court appeared on the face of it to be a criticism of a political decision rather than a clear violation of personality rights, ANI reported.
Here is what the Bench observed
The Bench further noted that political leaders have historically been subjected to satire, caricature and criticism in public life.
“We have been seeing RK Laxman cartoons since independence. Social media probably didn’t reach that scale then; today it does,” Justice Prasad observed.
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Senior advocate Rajiv Nayar, appearing for Chadha, argued that several posts circulating online were not mere political criticism but defamatory and profane attacks portraying the MP as someone who switched political parties for monetary gain.
“He is shown wearing a sari. We see the prime minister distributing, showering money,” Nayar said, referring to certain pictures and posts placed before the court.
However, the Bench has repeatedly questioned whether criticism of a political leader’s public conduct or policy decision can be contained within personality rights.
Nayar also stated that the matter also involved defamation and defamation. “They say I went for the money. That cannot be a fair criticism,” he argued.
At one stage, Justice Prasad said the court may appoint an amicus curiae to assist on the broader legal issues arising from the matter, particularly the balance between freedom of expression and the protection of dignity in the age of artificial intelligence and social media.
“There are cases and cases. The line between defamation and criticism is quite thin. It is very easy to see it from the other side, which affects your right to a dignified life. At the same time, the right under Article 19 cannot be taken away,” the Bench observed, as reported by ANI.
A lawyer for Meta said the few screenshots Chadha relied on were just news reports and otherwise innocuous material. After hearing the arguments, the Bench reserved its order on the writ petition.
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Why did Chadha approach the Delhi High Court?
Chadha approached the Delhi High Court seeking protection against the alleged misuse of his image, likeness, voice and identity through artificial intelligence and digitally manipulated material spread online.
In his plea, he sought directions to limit the creation and dissemination of AI-generated deepfakes, morphed videos, synthetic voice clones, fabricated speeches and other allegedly deceptive content on social media platforms.
The petition states that the unauthorized use of his person through artificial intelligence tools is capable of misleading the public and damaging his reputation.
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Chadha previously served as an MLA from Delhi’s Rajinder Nagar constituency from 2020 to 2022. After being associated with the Aam Aadmi Party for several years, he joined the Bharatiya Janata Party in April 2026.
The matter is part of a growing series of cases in the Delhi High Court on rights of personality and publicity in the era of artificial intelligence. Public figures including Anil Kapoor and Amitabh Bachchan have previously secured protection against unauthorized use of their voices, likenesses and identities through AI-generated content.
