Court orders takedown of Akshay Kumar deepfakes, cites public order risk

Mumbai,UPDATED: Oct 16, 2025 23:55 IST

The Bombay High Court has issued strong directions against the circulation of AI-generated deepfake videos and morphed images of actor Akshay Kumar, calling them “deeply concerning” and potentially harmful to public order.

Justice Arif S Doctor granted Akshay Kumar temporary relief without hearing the opposing parties, noting that the deepfake video, featuring Kumar allegedly making communally inflammatory statements and remarks about Rishi Valmiki, posed both reputational damage and a risk to public safety.

“The morphing is so sophisticated and deceptive that it is virtually impossible to discern that these are not genuine images or videos of the plaintiff,” the court noted.

Calling the consequences of such content “most grave and serious,” Justice Doctor said the videos not only violated the actor’s personality and moral rights but also endangered his family’s safety and could “adversely and widely impact society and public order,” which appeared to be the intent of those circulating them.

The court also noted that alongside known infringers, there were numerous unidentified entities involved in creating or disseminating the fake content. Given the clandestine and pervasive nature of such activity, Kumar had included “John Doe” defendants to represent these unknown individuals.

Emphasising the urgency of immediate action, the bench said relief was warranted even before issuing notice to the defendants. “Such content needs to be removed from the public domain immediately—not only in the interest of the plaintiff but also in the larger public interest,” the order stated.

Accordingly, the court directed social media platforms and e-commerce websites to remove all infringing content using Kumar’s name, image, or likeness and to provide details of the users or sellers responsible for uploading or circulating the material.

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