Kumar Sanu thanks Delhi HC for protecting his personality rights
What's the story
Veteran Bollywood playback singer Kumar Sanu has won a significant legal battle as the Delhi High Court recently upheld his personality and publicity rights. The court ordered the removal of objectionable content that misused his name, voice, and likeness on social media platforms. Following this ruling, Sanu expressed his gratitude on Instagram and called it a "landmark judgment."
Gratitude expressed
'Grateful to my advocate...': Sanu
Sanu took to Instagram to share a picture with his lawyer, Sana Raees Khan. He wrote, "I am deeply grateful to my advocate, Sana Raees Khan, for her powerful and masterful arguments that led to this significant victory in court." "My heartfelt thanks to the Hon'ble Delhi High Court for recognizing and upholding my Personality Rights."
Legal action
Four profiles on social media misused singer's name
Sanu's plea sought protection for his personality and publicity rights, including his name, voice, vocal style, technique, vocal arrangements, interpretations, mannerisms and manner of singing. The court noted that Sanu had complained about four profiles on Facebook and Instagram. Although the 334 URLs he provided were no longer active, Sanu complained about GIFs, audio recordings, and video recordings of his performances. The next date of the hearing is March 30, 2026.
Court's judgement
Court took note of 'morphed' and 'distorted' content
The Court noted, "Prima facie, the Plaintiff's personality traits and/or parts thereof, including Plaintiff's name Kumar Sanu, voice, image, photograph or likeness and other attributes are protectable elements of the Plaintiff's personality rights." "The Plaintiff is entitled to protect itself against morphed and distorted content which is demeaning."
Moral rights violation
Digital reproductions caused Sanu's disrepute, court noted
Sanu stated that these digital reproductions caused him "unsavory humor" and disrepute, violating his moral rights. Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora said a detailed interim injunction order would follow to protect the singer's rights and remove the offending material.
Growing unease
Similar actions by other celebrities in recent times
Sanu's recent legal action highlights the growing concern among artists over unauthorized digital reproductions. Many celebrities have recently started seeking legal protection to safeguard their image, voice, and likeness in the digital age. Stars like Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan, and Karan Johar have applied for similar protections in recent months.