Legal & Compliance
Delhi High Court orders takedown of YouTube channel using Anjana Om Kashyap deepfakes
June 20, 2025
Deepfakes
The Delhi High Court has delivered another pivotal ruling against AI-generated deepfakes, ordering the swift takedown of a YouTube channel illegally impersonating renowned journalist Anjana Om Kashyap. This decision underscores the judiciary's firm stance on safeguarding personality rights and combating digital deception.
The case, initiated by TV Today Network Ltd. (Aaj Tak's parent company) and Ms. Kashyap, targeted a fraudulent YouTube channel. This channel, deceptively mimicking Ms. Kashyap's official online presence, leveraged her image and manipulated deepfake videos to spread content, exploiting her significant professional goodwill.
Justice Prathiba M. Singh's interim injunction featured crucial orders:
Personality Rights Affirmed: The Court explicitly ruled that using Ms. Kashyap's name, image, and voice via a fake profile, particularly for commercial gain, is illegal and infringes her fundamental personality rights.
Combating Misinformation: Recognizing the journalist's role, the Court highlighted that such unauthorized deepfakes, lacking editorial control, pose a severe risk of disseminating misinformation, damaging both individual credibility and public trust in news.
Platform Accountability: Google LLC (YouTube's parent company) was directed to take down the infringing channel within 48 hours. Significantly, Google was also ordered to disclose the Basic Subscriber Information (BSI) of the account operator and provide details of any revenues earned by the fake channel.
Proactive Measures: The order also mandates prompt takedown of any future identified infringing URLs by Google within 72 hours upon notification, reinforcing dynamic enforcement.
This judgment is the latest in a series of rulings by the Delhi High Court protecting public figures from AI deepfakes, following similar orders for Sadhguru and Anil Kapoor. It re-emphasizes that even without specific AI legislation, Indian courts are effectively using existing legal frameworks, particularly personality rights (derived from Article 21 of the Constitution), to address the threats of digital identity theft and manipulated content. This ruling provides strong legal recourse for individuals and organizations, sending a clear message that the misuse of AI for impersonation will not be tolerated.