New Delhi: In a big win for Telugu superstar NTR Jr, the Delhi High Court has stepped in to protect his name, image, and likeness from illegal use.
Websites
and sellers can’t misuse his fame anymore for profit without permission. This comes amid rising deepfakes and AI tricks targeting stars.
Court grants key injunction
The Delhi High Court passed a John Doe order on December 22, 2025, to safeguard actor Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao, known as NTR Jr. Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora restrained 17 defendants, including unknown persons and websites, from using his personality traits via AI or deepfakes until the next hearing.
The judge noted, “Plaintiff’s personality traits and/or parts thereof, including name, likeness, and image, are protectable elements of the plaintiff’s personality rights.” He added that NTR Jr is entitled to stop third parties from selling merchandise using his image for commercial gain without consent.
Protecting a superstar’s fame
Justice Arora highlighted NTR Jr’s huge fame in India, built over a long career with massive goodwill and celebrity status. The court said unchecked misuse would cause irreparable harm. It ordered platforms to remove offending URLs, posts, videos, and content right away.
E-commerce sites like Amazon must share their policies on handling such complaints under the IT Rules, 2021. Social media platforms must treat this as a formal notice.
Broader trend in celeb rights
This isn’t new for Justice Arora, who recently protected Sunil Gavaskar, R Madhavan, and others like Pawan Kalyan and Salman Khan. Other Delhi High Court benches have aided Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan, and Nagarjuna, too.
The next hearing is on May 19, 2026. This ruling strengthens defences against digital misuse in India’s growing online world.
