Delhi HC refuses blanket takedown of fan pages in Kapoor personality rights suits

The Delhi High Court (HC) has refused to grant a blanket injunction against "fan pages" in personality rights lawsuits brought by actors Khushi Kapoor and Janhvi Kapoor. The court granted narrow relief pertaining to overtly obscene content and unauthorized merchandise, deferring consideration of fan-run accounts for further hearings.

This decision diverges from earlier High Court orders this year that had granted broad injunctions, including in cases involving Ravi Kishan, Aman Gupta, and Varun Dhawan. In Janhvi Kapoor's suit, Justice Anup Jairam Bhambhani declined a sweeping injunction covering the 6,884 URLs she cited, reasoning that fan pages could encompass satire, lampooning, criticism, or admiration.

The court indicated it would consider relief in three specific categories: content that is patently obscene or pornographic, content that directly monetizes personality rights, and content using a celebrity's name and likeness to sell goods or services. Justice Bhambhani cautioned that broad personality rights orders could be misused to conceal wrongdoing.

In Khushi Kapoor's case, Justice Jyoti Singh confined relief to obscene or pornographic content and unauthorized merchandise. Meta argued that some flagged links were fan pages rather than impersonation accounts, citing disclaimers in Instagram bios. Kapoor's counsel opted not to press this category at this juncture.

Both lawsuits center on commercial exploitation rather than mere obscenity. The court is also examining the removal of AI-generated images, which in prior cases have been part of broader personality rights infringement claims. Further hearings are scheduled for August and September.