Baba Ramdev Moves Delhi High Court Against AI Deepfakes; Seeks Injunction To Protect Name, Voice And ‘Yoga Guru’ Persona

Baba Ramdev Moves Delhi High Court Against AI Deepfakes; Seeks Injunction To Protect Name, Voice And ‘Yoga Guru’ Persona

Introduction

The Delhi High Court has taken up a petition filed by Baba Ramdev seeking protection of his personality rights against alleged misuse of his name, likeness, voice and distinctive style through artificial intelligence-generated content and deepfakes. The matter was briefly heard and listed for further consideration.

Factual Background

Baba Ramdev, yoga guru and co-founder of Patanjali Ayurved, has approached the Court seeking an injunction against unauthorised exploitation of his identity on digital platforms. The petition alleges that unidentified persons (“John Doe” defendants) are using artificial intelligence tools, deepfake videos and voice cloning technologies to generate and circulate content exploiting his persona without consent.

The plea asserts that attributes exclusively identifiable with him—including the title “Yoga Guru,” his voice, likeness and distinctive manner of public discourse—are being misappropriated. It is contended that such unauthorised use infringes his personality rights and causes reputational and commercial harm.

The suit names Google, Meta, X and Amazon as respondents, along with the Department of Telecommunications and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.

Procedural Background

The matter was listed before Justice Jyoti Singh on 17 February 2026. Senior Advocate Rajiv Nayar appeared for the petitioner and sought urgent protection against ongoing digital misuse.

Counsel appearing for X submitted that any takedown directions should not affect satire, political commentary or lawful public speech, emphasising the need to balance personality rights with freedom of expression. The Court directed the parties to file a detailed note specifying the exact content objected to and adjourned the matter for further hearing the following day.

Issues

1. Whether the unauthorised use of the petitioner’s name, likeness, voice and distinctive persona through AI-generated content and deepfakes violates his personality rights.

2. Whether interim injunctive relief is warranted against “John Doe” defendants and digital intermediaries.

3. How to balance personality rights with freedom of expression and lawful commentary.

Contentions of the Parties

The petitioner contended that the unauthorised creation and dissemination of deepfake videos and voice-cloned content amounted to infringement of personality rights and violated his right to dignity and control over commercial exploitation of his persona.

It was submitted that the petition seeks protection against misuse of attributes exclusively identifiable with him, including the designation “Yoga Guru” and his distinctive manner of public address.

The respondent platform X contended that any blanket takedown directions must be narrowly tailored so as not to suppress satire, political commentary or legitimate public discourse.

Reasoning and Analysis

At this stage, the Court did not render a final determination but acknowledged the concerns raised regarding digital misuse of personality through AI technologies. The Court required the petitioner to specify the exact content alleged to be infringing so that a calibrated order could be considered.

The listing of major digital intermediaries and governmental authorities reflects the growing judicial recognition of the need for platform-level compliance and regulatory coordination in cases involving AI-generated misuse.

The matter forms part of a broader trend of personality rights litigation before the Delhi High Court, where public figures have sought relief against unauthorised AI-generated content and digital impersonation.

Decision

The Court directed the parties to file a detailed note identifying the specific infringing content. The matter has been listed for further hearing on the following day. No final interim order has yet been passed.