The Delhi High Court has protected Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev’s personality and publicity rights, ordering a restraint on rogue websites from misusing his personality traits through Artificial Intelligence (AI). This ruling aims to prevent unauthorized exploitation of Sadhguru’s identity and reputation.
The court has passed an interim order in favor of Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev, granting protection for his personality rights and restraining rogue websites and unknown entities from infringing upon them, particularly through the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
The court recognized that Sadhguru Vasudev has acquired a unique personality, encompassing his voice, name, signature, image, likeness, vocal style, articulation, and distinctive attire and appearance, setting him apart and warranting protection.
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The court noted that the defendants not only infringed on Sadhguru Vasudev’s personality rights but also exploited modern technology to manipulate his images, voice, likeness, and videos for commercial purposes, further aggravating the violation.
The court said, “If allowed to continue in the manner, it will soon spread like a pandemic with wide, uncontrollable repercussions, especially since it is a social media platform(s) herein happen to be the internet portal(s). If not stopped, the chances that (the wrong) message will spread like wildfire with hardly any water left to douse it”.
The Delhi High Court ordered the suspension of accounts and takedown of YouTube channels featuring content that infringed on Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev’s personality rights. The court also directed that the channels’ basic subscriber information be disclosed.
The court instructed the Department of Telecommunications and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology to issue notifications to social media platforms, directing them to block or suspend websites, social media accounts, and channels that infringe on Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev’s personality rights.
The court noted that with the significant freedom enjoyed by developers and innovators, intellectual property rightsholders like Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev are particularly vulnerable to exploitation by “rogue websites,” emphasizing the need for proper protection to safeguard their rights.
The court said, “This so-called dangerous edge has become even sharper with the fast-paced evolution of certain ‘hydra-headed’ websites, which, even if blocked/ deleted, have the incredible potential to resurface in multitudes as alphanumeric or mirror websites with only minor, mechanical changes.”
The court observed in its 30th May order, “Such ‘hydra-headed’ websites, under the garb of privacy, are able to mask their registration/contact details perfectly, making it virtually impossible to locate and contact their operators to, if necessary, demand cessation of infringing contents.”
In a previous development, in March, the Delhi High Court ordered Google, X, and Meta to remove a video uploaded by YouTuber Shyam Meera Singh, deeming it defamatory towards Isha Foundation and its founder, Jaggi Vasudev. The court’s decision was made after finding the video’s contents to be “per se defamatory” and harmful to Isha Foundation’s reputation, as reported by Bar and Bench.
A video titled “Sadhguru EXPOSED: What’s happening in Jaggi Vasudev’s Ashram” was uploaded to Singh’s YouTube channel on February 24, as reported by Live Law. The video made some serious allegations, claiming that minors were being exploited at Vasudev’s ashram.
Besides sharing the video on YouTube, Singh had also shared it on X. Justice Subramonium Prasad ordered the removal of the video in response to a defamation lawsuit filed by Isha Foundation against Singh, granting the foundation’s request for interim relief.
The court’s decision is quite clear: Singh is prohibited from publishing or sharing the video any further, and it’s also banned from being uploaded on social media platforms, as reported by Bar and Bench.
According to Justice Prasad, “Defendant 4 [Shyam Meera Singh] … subscribers of the channel of defendant number 4 are restrained from creating, publishing, uploading, and disseminating defamatory videos….” This means that Shyam Meera Singh, also known as Defendant 4, and his subscribers are prohibited from producing and sharing videos that could be considered defamatory, as reported by Bar and Bench.
The Delhi High Court scheduled a hearing for the defamation suit filed by Isha Foundation against YouTuber Shyam Meera Singh on July 9, while the application for interim relief was set for May 9. According to Bar and Bench, Isha Foundation claimed that the content uploaded by Singh was “malicious” and “palpably false in nature”.
Apparently, the counsel for Isha Foundation revealed that Shyam Meera Singh had sent an email to the foundation on February 19, stating his intention “to make a video regarding Sadhguru [Vasudev] allegedly asking minor girls to take off their upper clothes,” as reported by Bar and Bench.
The counsel pointed out that Shyam Meera Singh had posed certain questions regarding the allegations. Additionally, the counsel noted that the video in question was “strategically and deliberately” released just two days before the Hindu festival of Maha Shivratri in February.
The suit alleged that the intention behind this move was to spark public outrage surrounding Union Home Minister Amit Shah‘s presence as the chief guest at an event organized by the foundation during the festival.
The counsel pointed out that the video is publicly accessible, saying “It is open to the world to see.” Additionally, the counsel noted that the video has had significant online engagement, with “The video has over 9 lakh views and over 13 thousand comments.” The counsel also mentioned that there are defamatory tweets related to the matter, and emphasized that “Reputation built over decades cannot be dismantled like this.”
In January 2024, the court also ordered Singh to remove a video from his social media channels that allegedly defamed Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh. The video reportedly detailed Ram Rahim’s rise as the Dera Sacha Sauda chief and explored the allegations of rape and murder against him.
Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was given a 20-year prison sentence in 2017 for raping two female followers at the Dera headquarters in Sirsa, Haryana. In 2021, he and four others were found guilty of murdering Ranjit Singh, a former sect manager, and received life imprisonment sentences. Following the upload of the video, Rahim took legal action against Meera.
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