Delhi HC orders takedown of AI chatbots, websites misusing Sonakshi Sinha's persona; grants ex parte injunction

New Delhi [India], March 23 (ANI): The Delhi High Court has directed multiple Artificial Intelligence (AI) platforms, websites and unidentified entities to immediately stop using actor Sonakshi Sinha's name, image, voice and likeness without authorisation, and ordered the removal of infringing content within 36 hours.
Passing an ex parte ad interim injunction, Justice Jyoti Singh restrained several defendants, including AI chatbot platforms and various e-commerce websites, from directly or indirectly exploiting or misappropriating the actor's personality attributes for commercial or personal gain.

The court specifically barred use of her persona through technologies such as artificial intelligence, generative AI, deepfakes, chatbots and related tools.
The Court further directed defendant platforms, including chatbot services and online retailers, to take down specified URLs listed in Annexure-A of the order within 36 hours of receiving the directions.
Issuing summons in the suit, the Court granted 30 days to the defendants to file their written statements, while allowing the plaintiff to file replication within 30 days thereafter. The matter has been listed before the Joint Registrar on April 10, 2026, for further proceedings relating to pleadings and admission or denial of documents.
The Court also issued notice on the plaintiff's injunction application and listed it for further hearing on July 6, 2026.
In its prima facie observations, the Court noted that Sonakshi Sinha has established a strong case, observing that several defendants were unlawfully using her likeness, voice and identity to create AI chatbots and promote products, including generating obscene and objectionable content. Such acts, the Court said, were causing irreparable harm to her reputation and goodwill.