Bollywood actress Janhvi Kapoor has received significant relief from the Delhi High Court in a case concerning the misuse of her identity through obscene content circulating online.
Kapoor approached the court seeking the removal of allegedly morphed, pornographic and AI-generated deepfake content featuring her name, face and identity. During the proceedings, the court directed internet service providers and authorities to take action against such objectionable material reportedly spread across nearly 5,000 webpages.
However, the court was not willing to accept every demand made by the actress.
During the hearing, the bench examined her request for wider restrictions, particularly those that could potentially affect fan pages. Justice Anup Jairam Bhambhani reportedly made the point bluntly: “You don’t want fans? You’ll find yourself living in a cave.”
The observation underlines an important distinction. A fan page, by itself, is not illegal simply because it uses an actor’s name or photographs. Fans are free to celebrate their favorite stars, discuss their films, share pictures and even express criticism.
That distinction appears to be at the heart of the court’s approach in Janhvi Kapoor’s case. While ordinary fan activity remains protected, content that sexually exploits or falsely portrays the actress can face legal action.
The Delhi High Court’s approach therefore sends a broader message. The internet cannot become a free zone for abusing someone’s identity, but protecting personality rights also cannot mean shutting down genuine fan expression.
