The Delhi High Court on Friday indicated that it is likely to pass interim directions to protect the personality rights of Malayalam superstar Mohanlal, as it heard his ongoing suit concerning the unauthorised use of his identity. Presiding over the matter, Justice Jyoti Singh allowed the actor to implead additional defendants in the case, while also directing him to submit a detailed note listing the allegedly infringing links. The Court had earlier permitted Mohanlal to withdraw his interim plea, granting him the liberty to file a fresh application with clearer and more specific particulars.
During the latest hearing, the Court made it clear that it intends to pass an order directing the removal of content that violates both the actor’s personality rights and copyright. All parties have been asked to submit their notes by 4:30 pm, following which the Court is expected to issue its directions. The Court also instructed intermediaries, including social media platforms, to furnish Basic Subscriber Information (BSI) of users responsible for uploading the infringing material within two weeks. In a sharp observation, Justice Singh questioned an e-commerce platform over the presence of unauthorised merchandise featuring Mohanlal’s name and image, asking whether such listings had been taken down. The platform informed the Court that the content in question had since been removed.
Additionally, the judge reviewed several URLs flagged as infringing and directed all parties to clearly indicate which links they are contesting or disputing. The matter has been posted for further hearing on July 4. Mohanlal is represented in the case by advocates MF Philip, Sreehari Indukaladharan, Smitha Damodaran Nair and Togin Babichen.
The case is part of a growing trend, with several public figures approaching the Delhi High Court in recent years to safeguard their personality rights against unauthorised commercial exploitation. Notably, actors such as Amitabh Bachchan and Anil Kapoor have previously secured injunctions restraining the misuse of their name, voice, image and likeness, particularly across advertisements, merchandise and AI-generated content. More recently, similar protections were extended to Sonakshi Sinha.
