Telugu superstar Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao Jr, popularly known as Jr NTR, on Monday approached the Delhi High Court seeking protection of his personality rights, as reported by PTI.
The plea was heard by Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora, who directed social media platforms and e-commerce sites to treat the actor’s application as a complaint under the Information Technology (Intermediaries Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, and take necessary action within three days. The court will pass a formal order when it next hears the matter on December 22.
Senior advocate J Sai Deepak, representing Jr NTR, told the court that the actor’s personality rights were being violated with the circulation of several materials on social media and e-commerce platforms and requested court protection.
In a similar case involving Bollywood actor Ajay Devgn, the court had clarified that individuals seeking removal of objectionable online content must first approach the concerned social media platforms before moving the court.
What is Personality Rights?
Personality rights, also called the right to publicity, allow a person to protect, control, and profit from their image, name, or likeness. These rights are especially important for celebrities, whose names, photographs, or voices can be misused in advertisements or promotional campaigns without their consent.
A celebrity’s personality rights cover a wide range of attributes, including name, nickname, stage name, photograph, image, likeness, voice, or any identifiable personal property, such as a distinctive car or costume. Registering these rights helps celebrities safeguard their public persona and prevent unauthorized use.
Recently, several other public figures, including Bollywood stars Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan, Hrithik Roshan, Ajay Devgn, filmmaker Karan Johar, singer Kumar Sanu, Telugu actor Akkineni Nagarjuna, and podcaster Raj Shamani, have also approached the Delhi High Court to protect their personality and publicity rights, with interim relief granted in many cases.
