The Delhi High Court on Tuesday directed the removal of online content described as objectionable in a petition filed on behalf of film actor Janhvi Kapoor, while signalling caution against indiscriminate deletion of fan-operated pages.
Bench, petitioner and scope
A bench headed by Justice Anup Jairam Bhambhani heard the plea and issued the direction, according to court proceedings reported on Tuesday. Counsel for the actor drew the court’s attention to a large number of social media profiles and pages that, the petition said, were operating in the actor’s name; some accounts were alleged to be fake and others were said to be publishing material the petition termed objectionable and commercially exploiting the actor’s persona.
The court noted the scale of the problem recorded in the petition, which listed roughly 1,900 accounts — including fan pages — implicated in the grievance. The formal order has not yet been uploaded to the court registry.
Court's caution on fan pages and commercial misuse
"In this digital age, do you not want fans? Fan pages can be problematic; if there is commercial exploitation, that is one thing, but not all fan pages can be removed."
The bench observed that while material that is offensive or unlawfully exploits an individual's identity ought to be curbed, benign fan activity cannot be treated uniformly as objectionable. The judge’s comments highlighted the tension between protecting personality rights and preserving legitimate fan expression on social platforms.
Legal context and precedents
The court’s direction in this matter follows a line of earlier judgments in which the Delhi High Court intervened to prevent unauthorised commercial use of public figures’ identity. The registry’s records show that the high court has in earlier cases issued relief to public personalities including actors, sports persons and public figures, restraining third parties from using their images, names or other identity markers without authorisation.
The story’s source listed earlier beneficiaries of such protections, indicating the court’s growing jurisprudence on digital personality rights.
Practical issues for platforms and complainants
The hearing drew attention to operational difficulties faced by courts and online platforms when requests involve hundreds or thousands of accounts. Questions before the bench included whether a blanket takedown was feasible or proportionate, and how to distinguish between pages that merely celebrate a public figure and those that trade on the person’s name or disseminate harmful content.
- Scale: Petition flagged roughly 1,900 accounts.
- Legal tension: Balancing protection of personality rights with freedom for fans to operate non-commercial pages.
- Enforcement: Practical challenges in ordering removal and in platform compliance.
Table: Key points from the petition and hearing
| Issue raised | Details |
|---|---|
| Number of accounts | ~1,900 pages and profiles |
| Allegation | Objectionable content, fake accounts and commercial exploitation |
| Court position | Objectionable material should be curbed; not all fan pages merit removal |
When deciding on relief, courts must weigh competing considerations: the right to privacy and personality of a citizen, the commercial misuse of identity, platform rules and the difficulties in policing large numbers of accounts. These factors were central to the exchange in the courtroom on Tuesday.
What follows
The high court has to record and release its formal order; the registry had not uploaded the final order by the time of reporting. The court may frame directions for removal or blocking of specifically identified material, or it could set out principles to guide platforms and lower courts when dealing with similar complaints, given the complexity flagged during the hearing.
This instance adds to a series of recent matters in which Indian courts have grappled with the interplay between digital expression and personality rights in the social media era. How platforms, rights-holders and courts implement any directions will be closely watched by celebrities, content creators and moderators alike.
Reported from New Delhi.
