Isha Foundation founder and spiritual leader Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev has approached the Delhi High Court seeking protection of his personality rights, citing the misuse of his name, image, and likeness—including through artificial intelligence (AI) technologies.
Justice Saurabh Banerjee heard brief arguments in the matter today and reserved his interim order, which is expected to be uploaded shortly.
Allegations of Misuse
Appearing for Sadhguru, Advocate Saikrishna Rajagopal submitted that several rogue websites and unauthorised entities were illegally using Sadhguru’s image and name to promote and sell products without his consent. The petition also raised concerns over AI-generated content and other digital misappropriations exploiting his persona.
The counsel urged the Court to issue a dynamic injunction, a legal remedy that would allow for evolving protection against present and future unauthorised usage of Sadhguru’s personality traits across digital and physical platforms.
Court’s Response
Justice Banerjee acknowledged the seriousness of the allegations and noted the increasing need to safeguard personality rights in the digital and AI age. He said the Court would pass a detailed order after considering the submissions.
Precedent and Context
The plea follows a recent wave of similar litigation by public figures against the unauthorised use of their likenesses. Celebrities such as Amitabh Bachchan, Jackie Shroff, Rajat Sharma, Arijit Singh, and Mohan Babu have all sought judicial protection of their public image and persona in the wake of AI deepfakes, fake endorsements, and commercial misuse.
These cases highlight the growing concerns around digital identity theft, misuse of likeness in AI-generated content, and the lack of legal safeguards for personality rights under current Indian law.
