Kriti personality rights plea: Delhi HC seeks detailed case law

Actor Kriti Sanon has approached the Delhi High Court seeking protection of her personality rights. During a hearing on Friday, the court asked her counsel to submit a detailed compilation of judgments and research on the scope of such rights and whether the High Court’s Intellectual Property Division has jurisdiction to hear these disputes.

The matter will next be heard on October 29, amid a rise in personality rights petitions filed by public figures.

Kriti Sanon’s personality rights plea: Delhi High Court seeks detailed judgments and research

According to Live Law, Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav has asked advocate Pravin Anand, appearing for Kriti Sanon, to submit a detailed compilation of judicial precedents and research material concerning personality rights. The court observed that similar petitions are coming before it with increasing regularity and that the legal questions warrant closer examination.The compilation is expected to address the extent of personality rights protection, the aspects of an individual’s identity that may be legally protected, and whether the High Court’s Intellectual Property Division (IPD) is the appropriate forum to hear such disputes. Rather than limiting the examination to the specifics of Sanon’s petition, the court indicated that it wanted a broader understanding of the legal principles involved.

Kriti Sanon’s counsel explains the scope of personality rights

During the hearing, Anand submitted that personality rights could extend to an individual’s name, voice, face, image, photographs and videos. He also highlighted concerns over the unauthorised commercial use of a person’s identity without consent. The court sought clarity on which aspects of an individual’s identity qualify for protection and whether such claims fall within the jurisdiction of the IPD.These questions are significant because personality rights disputes can involve several overlapping legal considerations, including privacy, publicity rights, intellectual property and the commercial exploitation of a person’s identity.

‘Please give me a compilation’: Court asks for legal precedents in Kriti Sanon’s case

Justice Kaurav asked Anand to provide research papers, relevant judgments and his understanding of the legal position.“Can you give me some research paper? Please give a compilation. Give me judgments and your understanding regarding personality rights,” the court observed.The judge indicated that the material would help the court assess the relevant legal questions before considering a detailed order. Anand told the court that the compilation would be submitted later that day.

He also argued that Sanon’s case did not raise an issue of jurisdiction. The matter is scheduled to be heard next on October 29.

Kriti Sanon joins other public figures seeking personality rights protection

Sanon’s petition comes amid a broader trend of public figures approaching the Delhi High Court to protect their identities against alleged unauthorised use.Other prominent figures who have sought personality rights protection before the court include actors Kangana Ranaut, Tabu and Vijay Deverakonda; cricketers Abhishek Sharma and Yuvraj Singh; Congress leader Shashi Tharoor; and Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan.Such petitions commonly raise concerns about the use of names, photographs, likenesses, voices and other recognisable aspects of a person’s identity, particularly where the alleged use is commercial or misleading. The outcome of each case depends on its specific facts and the legal grounds presented. The growing number of petitions has also brought questions about the scope and limits of personality rights into sharper focus.

Kriti Sanon on the work front

Kriti Sanon was last seen in 'Cocktail 2' alongside Rashmika Mandanna and Shahid Kapoor.