Delhi High Court Orders Social Media Platforms to Address Jr NTR's Personality Rights Complaint Within Three Days
New Delhi, December 8, 2025 – The Delhi High Court has directed social media and e-commerce platforms to respond within three days to a complaint filed by Telugu actor Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao Jr., popularly known as Jr NTR, concerning the misuse of his identity across various digital platforms. The actor is seeking protection of his personality rights, alleging that his name, image, likeness, and other attributes of his identity are being used without authorization for commercial gain.
Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora heard the plea on Monday, instructing the platforms to treat Jr NTR's lawsuit as a formal complaint under the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021. The court has scheduled a further hearing for December 22, when a more detailed order is expected to be passed.
Senior Advocate J Sai Deepak, representing Jr NTR, argued that the actor's personality rights were being violated through the circulation of unauthorized and objectionable material on social media and e-commerce sites. He urged the court to intervene and provide protection against the infringement of these rights.
The right to publicity, also known as personality rights, grants individuals the right to control and profit from their image, name, and likeness. This encompasses the ability to protect and benefit commercially from one's persona and identifiable traits.
This move by Jr NTR follows a growing trend among public figures seeking legal recourse to curb the misuse of their identities in the digital sphere. Recently, several Bollywood and Tollywood actors, including Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan, Hrithik Roshan, Ajay Devgn, Akkineni Nagarjuna, and filmmaker Karan Johar, have approached the Delhi High Court seeking similar protection. Interim relief has been granted in several of these cases.
The Delhi High Court has previously addressed the issue of objectionable online content, stating that individuals must first approach the social media platforms concerned before seeking judicial intervention. This principle was emphasized during a hearing involving Bollywood actor Ajay Devgn.
Jr NTR's action highlights the increasing concerns surrounding the misuse of celebrity images and videos on online platforms. The rise of AI-generated content, including fake videos and voice clones, has further exacerbated these concerns, prompting celebrities to seek legal safeguards to protect their reputation and identity.
Jr NTR is currently filming for his upcoming movie Dragon, directed by Prashanth Neel.
