Delhi HC protects Sadhguru's personality rights from AI misuse

The Delhi High Court has issued a "dynamic+" injunction order restraining rogue websites and social media accounts from misusing AI to falsely represent spiritual leader Sadhguru, formally known as Jagadish "Jaggi" Vasudev.

As per a Bar & Bench report, Justice Saurabh Banerjee directed platforms such as X and YouTube to take down specific accounts spreading doctored content and to share basic subscriber information of their users with the authorities.

Also Read: Sadhguru moves Delhi High Court to curb AI misuse of his identity

The Court also instructed the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) to ensure compliance with the order across internet service providers and social platforms.

The case was initiated after Sadhguru approached the Court, raising concerns over a surge in AI-generated content that misrepresented his voice, likeness, and speeches. These included:

- A fake news website falsely claiming his arrest

- A fabricated interview promoting a trading platform called "Trendtastic Prism"

- Social media accounts that deceptively linked him to hair growth products and books on pregnancy advice.

The content, he alleged, was created using AI tools to doctor and morph his persona, misleading audiences and potentially profiting from his trusted image, the report added.

Also Read: Battle for identity: Growing concerns over personality rights in an AI-driven digital age

The Court agreed that there was a strong prima facie case for immediate relief, observing that the misuse of Sadhguru’s identity could severely damage his reputation and public trust.

The order recognized the use of sophisticated techniques like URL redirection and identity masking to mask the origin of such infringing content, making it impractical for the plaintiff to track down every violator individually, the report added.

“If not stopped, the chances that (wrong) message will spread like wildfire with hardly any water left to douse it,” the Court said, highlighting the urgency of preventive action.

The Court’s “dynamic+” injunction - an expanded version of a standard dynamic order is designed to address not just current but future violations, enabling swift takedowns of similar content that may surface under different names or platforms.

Summons have been issued to 41 unnamed rogue websites, and they have been asked to respond by October 14.

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