Bombay HC orders deletion, removal of 'extremely disturbing and shocking' AI morphed photos of Shilpa Shetty

Shilpa Shetty had moved the high court alleging misuse of her personality rights with AI-generated morphed pictures and videos online.

The Bombay High Court ruled on Friday in a plea filed by actor Shilpa Shetty against the misuse of her personality rights in the form of AI-generated morphed photos and videos online. The court termed the photos "extremely disturbing and shocking" and ordered their deletion and removal from social media platforms, providing significant relief to the actor.

Shilpa Shetty got a big relief from the Bombay HC in a plea filed by her.

Bombay HC rules in Shilpa Shetty's favour

Shilpa had moved the court seeking protection of her personality rights and also an order against websites and AI-generated content that allegedly carried morphed and manipulated images and videos of her. The case was heard by Justice Advait Sethna, who noted in his order that the pictures uploaded on the various sites were "prima facie extremely disturbing". The order stated that "no personality, much less a person and or a woman can be portrayed in a fashion which affects her fundamental right to privacy and that too, without her knowledge and or consent".

What did the order state

The order stated that the images were inappropriate and unacceptable and the portrayal of such images would tarnish Shilpa’s image and reputation. "In the interest of justice," the high court directed all the defendants to delete the URLs from their respective platforms.

Shilpa Shetty's suit

Shilpa’s suit had alleged that AI tools were used to clone her voice and mannerisms to create morphed images, books and other merchandise without her authorisation. She sought an injunction against all the websites carrying the offensive content and to also restrain them from using her name, voice or image without permission.

Shilpa was last seen on the big screen in the 2023 dramedy Sukhee, which starred her in the titular role. The film was not a commercial success. In 2026, the actor will be returning to theatres in the Kannada pan-India film KD: The Devil. Apart from Shilpa, the film also stars Dhruva Sarja, Sanjay Dutt, Reeshma Nanaiah, Jisshu Sengupta, and Nora Fatehi.